Marvelous: Topaz
by Dangan
Summary: Part 1 of the "Marvels of RWBY" Series. Jaune sets out to become a Hunter by any means he can. But will he survive as he faces a shadowy organisation, their maniacal Hunter leader and the hordes of Grimm that roam Remnant?
1. Chapter 1

" _Over my travels, I have discovered a great many different things. I have seen men and women fight beasts of legend and come out the other side alive. I have seen a swarm of those same beasts overrun towns in the outlier regions and leave naught but scrap and waste behind._

 _But one constant fact remains throughout my travels is this:_

 _Remnant is a world of fighters. Not of warriors as some travellers before me have claimed. Not everyone has the capacity to pick up a sword or axe and start battling against the Grimm after all. But_ _ **fighters.**_

 _Mothers and fathers fight each day to make sure their children have food each day. Children fight to keep themselves safe from the little dangers that surround them. Villages, often comprised of little more than a handful of families, fight together to protect the holdings they have created in the wilderness._

 _And yes, of course, there are the Hunters and Huntresses. Whether a loose collection of powerful individuals, like the Mistrali, or a battalion of battle hardened soldiers, like the Atlesians, the Hunting Lodges around Remnant provide a grand and noble service wherever they reside._

 _But where did they come from? What really makes a Hunter or Huntress? And, perhaps most importantly, who are those Hunters and Huntresses that even the members of the Hunting Legions today look up to?_

 _That, dear reader, is what I hope to answer in this book."_

 _\- Tatar of the Roaming Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant: The Hunting Lodges"_

* * *

Jaune sighed heavily as he re-read the familiar introduction. His comfortable hoodie did little to keep that creeping chill of doubt from entering his head.

 _Is there any chance that I could be a Hunter?_

A common enough question for anyone of Jaune's age but one that seemed to occupy more and more of his time. He thought of his parents; the locally revered Hunter and Huntress duo of "Stone Rain". He thought of his sisters, collectively known as "The Pleiades" who had rose to fame in Vacuo as a full package of Huntresses, support workers and even an assassin if the rumours were true.

Electra never did talk much about what she did. Although, she never talked much at all these days.

But most of all, he thought about all of those heroes he'd read about in his books. From the storybook tales of "The First Huntress" and "Ask and His Mighty Axe" to the more recent recounts in countless history books. It all came back to the same question:

 _Do I have the right to stay safe and let others sacrifice themselves for me?_

The answer in all the stories was no. The First Huntress had given up her home, family and even her name to fight the Grimm. She'd wandered into the darkness of the world and fought Grimm until Remnant was just that little bit lighter. Ask swung his axe against the heel of a Wulf for a thousand days to free the villages in Atlas and finished an old, decrepit man. Even his parents had given up raising their children in a huge way to protect the local area. So, no, Jaune did not have that right.

The only problem was his skill or, rather, his lack thereof.

While his family had staunchly refused to teach him anything beyond a little fitness routine, _("You can learn how to run first, Little Jaune. There's nobody, Hunter or not, that doesn't need to know how to do that.")_ he'd picked up a little style from simply observing his father and mother training in the back garden. The clashes of steel, the broad arcs of their blades and even the iron determination of both his parents all fed into his self admitted patchwork of a fighting style. He'd spent hours trying to hammer his physique into something resembling in shape.

But his lungs inevitably gave. His muscles crumpled under him like dead wood. His head spun and little Jaune was inevitably taken in from the outside to nurse his wounds.

But Arcs never gave up. Even when it might have been better for them to stop.

Jaune's idle thoughts were broken as his father tromped in from outside. The light sections of armor combined with the thinner clothing showed off his father's goliath physique. The mighty beard upon the weathered face only added to the warrior picture Petros Arc projected onto his son.

"Jaune!" came the booming voice of his father. "What are you doing reading on a day like this? It's lovely out there!"

"I know, Dad." replied Jaune. "I was just… you know…"

Petros looked at the book his son held and simply shook his head. "Jaune. We've talked about this."

"I know!" Jaune shouted back. He rose from his chair and stood in front of his father. "We've talked on and on about how, even though you helped Electra and Medie and all of my other sisters to fight, you won't lift a finger to help me! How I get my butt kicked at school by everyone because I'm the son of the great "Stone Rain" team and can't even fight properly! How I stay home, doing chores while you and Mom go out and leave me alone for days or weeks on end! I know, Dad!"

Jaune stood there, panting heavily. His shoulders tensed up and he felt the familiar twinkling notes of shame and regret travel through them. His gaze remained firmly on the ground as he spoke once more.

"I just want to help, Dad." Jaune turned his body away and began to walk upstairs.

"Jaune." The baritone froze the young man in place. "Get Crocea Mors and meet me outside."

"D-Dad?" Jaune said.

"Now, boy!"

Jaune flinched into his room as if he'd been slapped. There, amongst the comics and clothes, lay the ancient heraldic symbol of his family. Gleaming amongst the general disarray of it's surroundings, Crocea Mors lay against his bed.

 _Alright._ He thought. _I can do this. Just gotta show Dad I can defend myself. He won't hurt me. Just gotta be good enough for today. Please let me be good enough. Please…_

He grabbed the weapon, unfolded the ashen sheath to full shield and walked downstairs.

"Now, Jaune." Petros Arc stood across from his offspring. "Here's the deal. You land a solid strike on me and I'll train you along with your mother to become a Hunter. By the time we're done with you, Beacon will be asking _you_ to join instead of that mad application system they have."

"Alright!" said Jaune, excitement clear across his face. He began to draw his sword before he was stopped by a gut punch in the form of his father's voice.

"But." The word echoed between the man and the youth. "If you don't hit me at all, or if you should exhaust yourself in the effort, you'll cease trying to follow me and the family into Hunting. You'll focus that mind of yours on something else. Understand?"

The imposing armor did little to raise Jaune's confidence as he replied. "Yes, sir."

The older man nodded. "Alright then. Then whenever you're ready, Son."

Crocea Mors emerged with an audible sharpness to it from it's time worn companion. The shield was held stalwart against Jaune's bodyand, with his left foot forward and his stance light, Jaune swung a wide blow at his father.

Which was promptly and harshly swatted away.

"No." Came the growl. There was no malice or disappointment there. There was only a statement of fact.

Jaune growled right back. He roared as he took another swing at his father's gleaming armor.

Another light backhand spun him entirely around this time.

"No."

On and on it went. Through stabs, flurries, jumps and dodges, Jaune's attacks were all parried away as if Petros was swatting bugs from the air.

All the while, the same word kept piercing the air.

"No." "No." "No!"

"GAAAH!" Jaune screamed, tears streaming down his face. He could feel the difference in his stance this time.

 _I'll hit this time! I'll be faster! I'm not quitting! I can do this!_

The sound of metal on metal gonged through the yard.

The mighty Ilium, his father's shield, stood tall and proud in the path of his strike.

"You tried, Son." A hint of regret was all the emotion Petros permitted into his voice.

"But, I can still-" Jaune tried to finish his sentence before Ilium was smashed into his shield.

"I can-" The metal construct slammed into Jaune again, this time managing to collide with his body.

"You can't." His father said as he pinned the smaller boy to the ground. "You'd be dead ten times over. Can't do anything if you're dead, Hunter or not."

The weight began to increase, just enough to send Petros' final message across.

"I love you, Son. But I'll not stay awake for the rest of my days worrying over all my children."

A single tap to the forehead was all that followed as Jaune fell into darkness.

* * *

Jaune awoke to find himself surrounded. Clothes swarmed his bedside and floor like a pack of Beowolves as his bed stood clean among them. His jumper was still on him, the familiar rabbit staring accusingly back up at him.

He sighed, taking off the cool coloured blanket and walking over to his desk. A letter was pressed atop the general pile of clutter. The tell tale elegant strokes of his father's handwriting stood out against the cream colour of the parchment.

 _Jaune._

 _I'm not going to say sorry for what happened today. I see no need to devalue your passion, your ferocity or even your strength after that performance._

 _I shall say only these words and no more._

 _What you have in excess is not enough to survive as a Hunter. Passion and strength can only carry you so far against the beasts we hunt. I could not send you out there, no matter how much training I could give you, without knowing you had some safety on your own._

 _I don't know what I was looking for out in the garden. Some spark of brilliance or skill that you'd been keeping silent perhaps._

 _All I can tell you is that there was nothing to set my mind at ease. No matter how much I trained you, even if I put you through the same training as I did your sisters, I could never be sure that you wouldn't be hurt or worse out in the world. Your ferocity would see you ripped to pieces when your strength failed and your passion, I know, would ensure that you wouldn't back down even then._

 _Please do not think I did what I did out of spite or some petty need for control. I love you my boy and would do anything to keep you safe from the horrors that stalk in the forest._

 _Today, that meant changing your path. I have no doubt at all that your mind and your will can excel at anything else you choose._

 _Just not this._

 _Love,_

 _Dad._

 _P.S - Been called away on Hunting duty. Simple patrol around the village. Should be back sometime tomorrow morning._

Jaune stared at the letter before sitting down on his bed. His head sinking lower, he let a little cry of despair tear through his lips.

So much time. So much effort. With a single letter, Jaune's hopes had been stopped dead.

He said nothing as his will gave out and he collapsed onto his bed once more.

The evening wrapped around the house like a funeral shroud as the tears rolled silently down his face.

* * *

A single beam of light pierced the window which hit the sleeping form on the bed. A slight tilt moved the boy's head out of the way but even he knew such a maneuver would only forestall the inevitable.

He'd have to get up sooner or later.

Without a sound, Jaune shifted his sheets off his tired body and slid into his casual gear. He pulled up his jeans, put on the hooded jumper once more and tied his black trainers with a molasses-like pace. He cast a glance to his armor and weapons before forcing his eyes to look elsewhere.

 _Not gonna need them anymore._ He thought, almost spitting the words out into the world.

He slid his way out of his room before easing his way down to the kitchen. The mud on the floor combined with the raided kitchen told Jaune all he needed to know about the last evening's events.

"Jaune."

He flinched at the voice and spun around to face the voice. He dropped down into a fighting stance before his brain fully engaged and he saw who was sitting across from him.

Tethys Arc sat alongside her mountain of a husband and was clad in her normal Hunter outfit. The deep purple cloak stood out against the bright sea blue of her tunic. A long combat skirt flowed down to lace up sandals as she held her short dagger against her hip.

Her eyes softened a little as she saw the boy flicker into his stance. She turned to her husband and said "I can see what you meant, honey."

That, much like the tableaux he saw as he came down the stairs, told him everything. "Right, I'm going back to bed." He turned on his heel and went to move back upstairs.

He found his passage stopped by his father's frame.

"Son, your mother and I want to speak to you. Take a seat." He smiled lightly and gestured over to the sofa.

Jaune just shrugged and sat down as his body sank into the worn leather.

"Sit up, Jaune. No need to slouch." His mother said.

"Yes, Mom." His back straightened as he turned his sullen expression towards his parents.

"Now, Jaune. Your father has told me what happened yesterday. I'm here to help you sort out your other options."

Jaune just sat like a statue as the final nail was hammered into his hopes of Hunting.

 _And that's it. Mom might have been able to overturn Dad but now the great "Stone Rain" has unified against me._

"Now, while your father and I were out patrolling, I had a quick word with the other local Hunting teams and they've given me a few ideas as to what you could be doing now."

She held out a series of papers. Some were hastily written scraps of paper whereas others seemed to be more formal publications. "Vale Hunting" and a familiar village newsletter stood out amongst the thick stack that slammed down on the table like a hammer.

"I know you wanted to be a Hunter but there are several different ways you can still be involved with Hunting if that's what you want. There's the support network; I know Cassie from that village a few miles from here would love to have another set of hands with that..."

Jaune picked up "Vale Hunting" and began to half listen to his mother's ever extending list of not-Hunting options.

"What about the Medic Core? They're always looking for runners and with your brains Jaune, I'm sure you could easily grown up to be a healer for the outlier regions. Or there's…"

His eyes glazed over as he continued scanning over the articles in the popular magazine. "Grimm beaten back by Hunting Team from Beacon," "New Advances in Hunter Weaponry: The Power of Tri-Form" and "Dancing and Combat: Using Boogie to Beat Beasts!" all had the main headlines but a smaller article caught the young man's eyes.

"New Testing Initiative comes to Glen Town Centre."

The article went on in a rambling way about how new Hunters were being needed to "fight against the Hordes!" and how the Vale council was looking around for "any hidden talents" from the surrounding villages.

"And of course, the Prism Foundation's looking for lab assistants. That might be good for you… Jaune? Are you listening?" Tethys said.

Shaken from his focus, Jaune looked up to his mother and asked a question. "What's the Prism Foundation?"

Tethys' eyes widened as she replied. "It's a small group of men and women who are dedicated to researching different healing uses for Dust. Why, thinking that sounds like an option?" The hope gleamed almost visibly in her eyes.

Petros smiled. "You'd be a good researcher, Jaune." He patted his son on the back. "You've got a brilliant mind on those shoulders."

Jaune simply shrugged. "Where are they based? I don't really want to be too far from you guys."

"They've got people all around Vale, although I think the person I met was based in Glen at the moment. Professor… something or other."

Jaune smiled. He still had a chance.

"I'd love to meet up with them. I think research might be what's best. And hey! If I don't like it, I'm sure there'll be something else." The grin stayed plastered across his face as he got up. "I'll get ready to travel to Glen tomorrow and I'll contact that Professor you were talking about."

His mother said nothing as her own grin matched her sons' while Petros ran over and hugged Jaune in a huge bear hug. Jaune gasped as the iron grip of his father forced the air out of his lungs.

"I'm so proud of you, my boy. This'll be good for you, you'll see." He held him just a little tighter before placing him gently on the ground.

"You'll need some food of course. I'll see what I can get from the farms on patrol tonight." Tethys went over and hugged Jaune just as strongly as his father. "I'll leave you a note for directions once you reach Glen after patrols tonight. Oh, Jaune." She put the poor boy back on his feet as she dragged his father away to the outside.

Neither Hunter nor Huntress noticed Jaune take the magazine into his room nor the continued smile keep gracing his face.

Jaune lie down on his bed with his night's' work displayed around him. His eyes blinked rapidly as he yawned not for the first time that evening.

 _Right._ He thought, mind running on fumes. _I can make it into Glen for around midday. The testing facility is set up at the main town shelter so I'll line up there. Shouldn't be too long before I get evaluated._

 _Can't be anything too hard._

 _Mom and Dad won't mind me taking Crocea Mors with me for protection. Even normal, non-Hunting people need some form of protection. I'll get in, test, and get out before anyone realises._

 _Once they accept me, I can apologise to Mom and Dad. They'll understand._

 _I'll apologise to their Professor friend as well._

 _It'll work._

 _It'll work…_

Sleep eluded the young Arc boy for most of the night. Dreams of fierce combat and a heroes' welcome after a long Hunt flickered through his mind as he tossed and turned in his creaky bed.

* * *

Dawn came and with it, a surge of energy sprang out of bed and quickly rushed to the shower.

 _No time to waste._ He thought as the icy water rushed across his bony frame. _Gotta get going as soon as possible._ His skin was still glowing red as he sprinted back to his room. His clothes were thrown on as his father hammered his door.

"Jaune!" He called. "You alright in there? All set?"

"Yeah, Dad! Just getting dressed."

A hearty laugh was his response. "Well, okay. Your mother and I'll be heading out. We've got reports of some Grimm herds coming this way. Don't worry; opposite side of the town from the Glen road." The metal boots stomped away down the stairs and a final click of the door handle was the final sound Jaune heard.

Pulling on his shoes, the black sneakers with his "left" and "right" signatures on them, Jaune stood up and began to affix his armor. The small basic sheets of metal did little to actually protect and seemed designed more for training than anything else.

 _Still, better to have something then going bare on the road._

His body shuddered in anticipation as he slid easily out the door and on the road to Glen. His feet sprang into motion as he marched towards the town.

* * *

 _That's a lot of people._

The Glen town centre stood tall and proud amongst the flat terrain and rustic houses that surrounded it. The iron barred doors only served to highlight the copper detailing that wrapped its way around the plain walls. A simple enough building; four basic walls hammered as far into the ground as diggers would allow, it served as a clear structure to run for safety when the Grimm came attacking.

Or, in this rare instance, when Vale decided it needed new hunters and every farmer who thought he could swing a scythe well enough wanted to have a go.

 _Just gotta make it through. I can still apologise to Mom's friend if I meet them later._

Jaune walked the agonizingly long distance past a menagerie of different would be Hunters and Huntresses who had turned out.

 _I can do this. Just gotta be patient… and hope that Mom or Dad haven't decided to check up on me._

With that final thought, Jaune took his place in line and began the longest wait of his life.

* * *

(A special thanks to **rwbyfan5** for beta reading this. Wouldn't have been able to do this without you.

Also, a special shout out to **Pick Up a Penny** for the title. Thank you so much! )


	2. Chapter 2

" _I often wondered about the very broad selection of clothing that Hunters wear into battle. I had my question answered by a famed Mistrali Huntress._

" _Well, the biggest reason is time." She said to me, her luxurious golden hair spilling over her outfit. "Hunters and Huntresses alike are never truly off duty. Even when we have some free time, we must be alert and aware of any potential Grimm attacks. Being in our combat gear at all times means we can act immediately instead of worrying over armor or defence." She then pondered the question for a moment before saying "I suppose it's also down to cost in some ways."_

 _I asked her what she meant. Cost? For the Hunting Lodges? "Yes," she said. "Imagine that you have to go out and fight every day. That's a huge amount of wear and tear on any outfit. So what most Hunters and Huntresses do is they have one or two very durable outfits and either learn to sew or make friends with a local seamstress."_

 _I laugh a little, sensing the unease that passes over my Huntress friend's face. So what of the style of the outfits? I mention the "combat skirts" that had begun to gain popularity and gesture to her own "battle gown" - a floor length dress detailed with silver wiring across the violet silk. She laughs in response._

" _Style, my dear Tatar. Simple function is not the only concern for a Hunter or Huntress on the field."_

 _She clasps my hands together with hers as a flame starts to ember behind her eyes. "We are not simply soldiers or officers of the law. We hunt beasts that seem to feed off the very worst of our emotions and so it is up to us to inspire the best of emotions. Awe, astonishment, relief; and even that most dangerous of things, hope. If a Huntress can not only take down the beast she is seeking, but also give rise to emotions that actively seem to drive them away?" She smiled, a faint colour coming to her cheeks. "Well, then she has done her duty twice over."_

 _I spoke no more about it to her as we retired to her abode together. I left her with a single lotus on her pillow and carried on my way."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges"_

* * *

It had been an hour and Jaune seemed to get no closer to the front of the line. The vast snaking river of humanity stood still as the sun passed over in the sky.

 _Not exactly the glamourous life of a Hunter, eh?_

Jaune chuckled to himself and began to actually look at the people around him. Deciding to follow the advice of his father, he tapped the person in front of him on the shoulder.

"Hm?" The man turned around. His wide frame did little to conceal the hammer at his hip or the awkward stance he had.

"How's it going?" Jaune smiled hopefully.

The man just gave him a glance, raised one eyebrow and said "You fer real, kid? You know it's a competition, right? First come first served?"

"Huh?"

The man gave a small chuckle. "I mean, I ain't sure. I've just seen people running out of there clutching their arms like they been punched by an Ursa or something."

"Oh? I hadn't noticed." Jaune paused for a moment before replying again. "But what would be the point in that? Surely they want as many people as possible to train?"

"Nah, see, what I figure? This is some training exercise for some Atlesian science experiment. The Vale Council always seems to be cushy with them, least that's what I heard. So they get a few hopefuls to come in and test it out. Somebody manages to hurt it? Well those frosties get some data and Vale gets a new Hunter or two. But if nobody manages? Well... " The man held out his hand as if delivering the unspoken sentence.

Jaune pressed on. "So why are you here then?"

The man just looked at the armored boy right in the eyes and said "'Cause I ain't a coward. Why, what about you, kid? Want to play hero?"

Jaune just smiled. "Who wouldn't want to be a Hunter? You read Vale Hunting?"

"Nah, more of a Mistrali Warriors News type of guy myself. Better weapons articles."

"Well, Vale Hunting ran an article a couple years back about the amount of time Hunters actually spend fighting Grimm. They said it was only around 2 hours. Considering the pay they get…" Jaune smiled again.

"You kidding?" Came the shocked reply.

"Yeah. Apparently - "

"Honey!" came a high pitched call from the town centre. A garish rainbow came walking down the stairs and stood firmly in front of the other applicant. Her head barely reached the man's chin but her obvious muscles showed through as she hugged him tightly.

"Hi, sweetie! How'd it go? Any hints for me?" He said, kissing her on the cheek.

"We can't apply, honey." She said, the same high pitch piercing the ears of those nearby.

"Well why in the heck not? They said they was taking any and all!"

"It's because of…" The brightly dressed woman looked around at the line and whispered gently into his ear. Jaune tilted his head slightly to better catch the sound.

"You remember what we did last night?" She said gently.

"You mean… But that makes no sense! How could they-" He whispered back.

"Don't know. They did something and they told me off and… Look, it doesn't matter. We should go home. No sense wasting our time here." She pulled his arm and the heavy set man was flung out of line.

Jaune simply stared on at the odd couple as he stayed firmly in line.

"Any ideas what they were whispering about?" A voice asked from his left. Jaune turned to find another brawny woman stood in front of him in the other man's place.

"Not a clue…" He replied.

The sun continued along its' arced path and, while he had definitely moved in line, Jaune felt further away than ever from his goal.

"Why do you think they kicked her out?" Jaune asked the woman in front of him.

A shrug was his reply.

"Well… what about the test? What do you think it is?"

A grunt this time.

 _Alright, fine. I'll just wait here then. Didn't want to talk to you anyway._

The sun continued to creep across the sky. As he continued to march forward, inch by inch, Jaune watched applicant after applicant walk out the door. Each one had the same expression of confusion and pain as they clutched their arms on the way out of the large building.

 _What is going on with the arms?_

His eyes followed the last applicant to emerge, a small woman dressed in rather dull green clothing, and tried to see any sign of what was going on. He searched for any marks or even wounds.

 _No sign of anything at all…_

"NEXT!"

Jaune's body flinched up in the air as he realised the voice was directed at him. He walked up and into the building, breathing heavily as the metal doors sealed behind him.

The internals of the metal beast he had been staring at all day were a mixture of brutal function and detailed artistry. The walls were built entirely for defense: four harsh cool walls surrounded the young Arc as the small edges of rust began to creep in near the roof. A quick look up showed a different story. A faded mural of what was presumably the towns' founding was painted overhead. Even though the years had not been kind to it, the intricate lines and colour mixes shone through. The wooden floor did nothing to soften the sound of his trainers as he walked towards the desk that had been set up in the centre of the room.

"Name?" The person at the desk asked as he quickly adjusted his Valian beret.

"J-Jaune Arc!" He said, nerves filling his voice.

"Age?" A quick scribble on a piece of paper.

"16!" _Not quite true, but close enough. They wouldn't mind, right?_

The soldier stared at him for a second or two before shrugging and scribbling down on his paper once again.

"Is there any reason you can think of why you would be ineligible for a Hunting exam? Reasons for exclusion include prior failure in a Vale military school, expulsion from any Hunter Academy or a criminal record that has not been reviewed by a Vale Military officer of high rank."

Jaune paused. His thoughts rushed through him. _My mom wouldn't want it. My dad will kill me when and if he finds out. I'm not the age I said I was. I'm probably a little too skinny for any real combat. My hair stands up when I wake up and-_

"Son? You got anything you wanna declare?" The man at the desk held the boy's gaze again.

Shaken out of his thoughts, Jaune's resolve won out. "No, sir. None of what you said applies to me."

The man laughed. "Son, I'm not a sir. Though the lady you're about to meet? You best keep up that politeness." He stood up, showing off his full military outfit. A mix of greens and browns in a striped pattern moved out from behind the desk and he waved over to a fence of curtains. "All you gotta do for me is just walk behind that curtain and do what the lady tells you. You think you can manage that?" He barked out another laugh.

Jaune gave his own nervous laugh and walked over to the curtain prison. The pristine white cloth was unnervingly white, especially considering the general grime there was on the floor. Nonetheless, Jaune took a deep breath and walked behind the curtain.

"Hello!" A loud voice said.

"What the-" was Jaune's battle ready response. He turned to face a small old lady with her hands behind her back.

"Now now, you can't be acting like that. You want to be a Hunter eh? Can't be frightened of little old me if Grimm be your prey." She laughed at that and completely missed the look of shock on Jaune's face.

"Heh, yeah." Jaune said, trying to keep his brave face on.

"Now, now, time for a little exam. If you wouldn't mind lying on that table over there and hold out your bare arm. Come, come, no time to waste." Her smile, all wrinkles and cheer, never wavered from her face.

Jaune lay down on the ice cold table and rolled up the sleeve on his hoodie.

"So, what are you going to do to me?" He asked.

"Nothing, nothing. Just a little exam. Won't take long at all." She began picking up various small pieces of fabric as she walked around the table. Her short legs shuffled furiously as she held up the swatches of fabric to Jaune like a magician holding out a deck of cards.

"Now, now, what colour do you like best?" She asked, pushing the colours closer.

Jaune blinked. "Huh?"

"Which, which colour do you like best? It's a simple question, dear." The same smile the old woman had had throughout somehow gained intensity as she looked eagerly at Jaune.

Jaune's brain began to go into overdrive. _Right, gotta think. Why would they be thinking colours? Is this a tactical choice? Best camouflage? But that depends on the terrain! Could it be a personality test? If you say something simple, is that better than going into detail? What about simple style? Maybe they don't want someone who hates puce! What colour even is puce anyway? What kind of sadist would ask this quest- Hey, what's that feeling on my arm -_

"OW!" He cried out as the needle stuck into his arm and the little jar.

"I, I don't think that's a colour dear. Try, try again. Really focus." She simply held out the swatches in the same way she did before.

"Uhhh, the blue?"

"Light or Dark?" She replied

"Light?"

The old lady's smile dropped off her face as she stared deeply into his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Y-yes!"

The room was deadly silent. The tiny pitter patter of a bug could have been faintly heard by Jaune if his heartbeat hadn't been filling his ears.

"Well, well… I don't think it suits you. You've got very pale skin dear. Maybe a darker colour might suit? Now, have we got all we need?" She looked over to the needle and nodded gently. "There we go."

"So… Is there anything else? Or was that it?"

"No! No, nothing else from me. You just need to follow this young lady here," With a gesture, she summoned over another soldier. "And then just follow their instructions. Okay?"

Jaune just nodded dumbly as he was led out and into the main hall area. The soldier who was escorting him turned and gave him a quick once over. "You really think you're gonna be a Hunter?"

"Sorry?" He replied.

"Kid, I've seen the types of people they train as Hunters. Believe me, you aren't it." She scoffed as she passed Jaune over to the third military type in as many minutes.

This officer was off somehow. He stood in the middle of the room, clad in the same military gear his comrades were but…

 _I can't quite put my finger on it. He seems to be gently swaying, like he's listening to music._ Jaune thought, his eyes scanning over the towering figure. _He's not hiding an injury, they wouldn't want to test anybody against the wounded, and he's not even standing formally. He's just… standing there._

"So!" His voice bellowed. "You're up. All you've got to do is hit me once and we can move on to the final stage of testing."

Jaune narrowed his eyes. "That's it?"

The man simply gave a small grin. "That's it, kid."

Jaune shrugged. He drew Crocea Mors and unfurled the shield to full size as he fell into his shaky combat stance.

The man's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the infamous combination weapon drawn in front of him. He nodded to the soldier closest by and they ran off.

Jaune's eyes flickered over to the running soldier but that attention was soon dragged back to the larger man in the hall. "Focus on me, kid. I'm your concern. Now, strike!"

Jaune ran over, sneakers pounding against the wooden floor. He swung a long sweeping strike at the man's midsection.

His sword collided with nothing but air.

"Very obvious. Are you sure that you want to be a Hunter?" The older man mocked.

Jaune said nothing as he focused in on his next strike; a straight stab to the man's throat.

Again, his blow was met with another mocking.

"Ooooh, very close… if I was a Gojira."

"Why!" A swing of the sword. "Don't!" Another swing. "You!" Another. "Shut!" Another thrust. "Up!?" A spinning attack that left the poor boy dizzy.

"Why should I? What's a kid like you gonna do?" The uniformed man simply slipped out of the way of the retaliation and continued on his barrage of ego breaking attacks.

"You're here because you want something, kid. You haven't been trained, you haven't grown up with this life and yet you're seeking it out. Why?"

The sword slashed a little closer this time as Jaune remained silent.

"Is it glory? You want to be some little storybook hero? Wanna change the world? Heh, if that's the case, go work in politics. Be a council member but don't waste my time here." The man tripped Jaune up, landing the boy head first into the floor.

To his credit, and to the surprise of the other soldiers watching, Jaune stood up soon after. His hands shook a little more but he just launched straight back into his attacks.

"Well, looks like we've got a hard head. It ain't glory then. Love, maybe? You gotta sweetheart at home who gets hot under the collar when they thinks of you all bloody? There's easier ways to pick up people, kid. Believe me, I've tried them."

Another slam brought with it a wince from the other soldiers.

Jaune just stood up, ignoring the lancing pain that shot up his shoulder as he held Crocea Mors. The sword tip was pointed directly at the grey haired man as Jaune took a slow march towards him.

The other man nodded. "So. Not love. Not glory. What is it that's keeping you up?"

The ancient sword lashed out, nearly cutting the soldier's cheek.

"Hey now! That almost made it!" He looked genuinely impressed, even if his mocking grin still held pride of place on his face. "Well done you. But it's not quite enough…"

This time, the soldier let go. He rammed his fist into Jaune's stomach like a jackhammer, each strike causing a new cracking sound to echo around the room. A grip around the shoulders flowed like oil into a throw that left a hard indent in the opposing wall.

A beatdown as merciless as the Grimm followed. By the end, even the veteran soldiers were looking on in shock.

 _(He was a civvie! For goodness sake, just end it. No point in drawing it out.)_

The fighting soldier relented, looking down at the mess of injuries his opponent had become. "Right, we're done here. Someone get this kid a stretcher and - "

"No." A little voice spoke.

"Hm?" The soldier turned around and looked down.

"I… said... No. It's not... over." With a shuddering jerk, Jaune's arms reached out and began to push himself up off the floor. His blood began to drip down his arms and through his fingertips.

"Kid, you've done enough. It's over." The soldier looked on with pity as the struggle against the injuries continued.

"NO!" Went the littlest Arc. "You said if I could land a hit on you, then I move on. You said NOTHING!" His voice roared louder. "About a losing condition!"

He pushed himself up onto his knees. The blood had stopped somewhat as the blade of Crocea Mors was stabbed into the ground.

"Not over… just yet." With another roar mixing pain and frustration, Jaune Arc forced himself to stand.

The other soldier just stood there, still as a pond in Winter. "Alright. Take a swing, kid. Still gotta land that hit." He just held out his arms and waited.

The walk seemed like it went on for miles. His legs ached, his arms were bleeding and what little strength he's had at the start of this fight had deserted him right around when he'd hit the floor the first time.

It was sheer bull headed determination that kept Jaune Arc upright. All the while, one single thought ran through his head:

 _Just one more step. Just one more. Just one more…_

Eventually, that slow creeping pace got the injured boy within striking range. Even then, the soldier made no move to dodge or slink out of the way. Jaune lifted his sword and took a mighty swing at his opponent. His muscles all tensed in unison as his arm seemed to move through a thick sludge.

 _Just one more…_

Jaune had no opportunity to think anything else as his will finally gave out and he collapsed to the floor.

* * *

"Mr Arc?"

Jaune's eyes flicked open. Then, just as quickly, they flicked back shut again.

 _Who put me in the room with the lightbulb right in front of me?_

"Mr Arc? Are you awake?"

He opened his eyes slower this time, giving them a chance to adjust. He blinked once, twice, and then looked around the room he now found himself in.

It was very similar to the town hall; that same brutal architecture mixed in with subtle touches of exquisite colour and detail. The only real practical difference between this room and the town hall was the size.

Oh, and the Huntress sitting across from him with her weapons drawn.

"Ah." She said, turning to her left. "Professor! He's awake!"

Jaune simply sat up and groaned. His ribs creaked in protest as he took a deep breath. "Where am I?

The Huntress merely sat where she was, keeping her weapons trained on the young man.

"Hey, now, I was the one getting beaten up in there!" He complained. "Why aren't you gesturing with those at the soldier who did this?!"

"Because, Mr Arc," Came a new voice from the door. "There was no soldier."

Jaune turned to face the newest entry into the room. The man stood tall but rakishly thin. His grey hair nearly fallen out, his face was wide but expressionless. A flash of… something passed across his face as he looked at the boy but he quickly returned to neutrality soon after. The long labcoat matched his hair and probably his age, judging by the small fraying edges and patches of obvious repair it had.

"You know, Mr Arc, had I known you were missing our meeting for this, I could have easily rescheduled." The old man smiled , the smiles line becoming much clearer on his face.

* * *

(As always, a huge thank you to **rwbyfan5** for beta reading this.

Special shout outs to **Samwize, Toy2711,** and **miguelc0090** for favouriting this new story!

Finally, thanks to **Pick Up a Penny** once more for pointing I'd been spelling Crocea Mors incorrectly. You're awesome!

Next chapter will be Saturday 3rd of December. Expect new chapters every Saturday as a minimum.)


	3. Chapter 3

_"A Hunter or Huntress will, over the course of their lifetimes, come into contact with many different types of weapons and attack styles. Yet it is common knowledge wherever I go that a Hunter or Huntress only ever has one weapon throughout their lives. This is true even in the legends and myths that each different kingdom has._

 _Why? Why is it that no hunter ever thinks "Well, that weapon's effective. Maybe I'll ask for a copy of the design for later."_

 _A Hunter from Atlas came to my aid this time as he walked with me on the long road out of Mistral's main city._

" _Have you ever tried lifting a hammer?" He asked me. I replied in the negative. "Now imagine lifting a hammer with about another ten to thirty pounds of weapons on top of that." I expressed my shock. That heavy?_

" _Absolutely, Tatar. As they must adapt to the Grimm, the weapons must be ready for a very wide variety of situations. Why, just last week, I heard tale of a Valian who used a **scythe** that transformed!" _

_I laughed along with him, watching his face light up with joy. "No, my friend." He continued "Hunters and Huntresses only use one weapon. They make that weapon as powerful and adaptable as possible though. No mere blade would do for a real Hunter. While in older times it might have been the case, here and now the weapons need to be more than just what they seem at first glance. And so do those who wield them I suppose."_

 _I commented on that. After all, the weaponry from the turn of the century was not at all simple. So many shifting gears and little enhancements for ease of use.  
_

" _Oh it's always been like that." He smiles at me again, his beard concealing most of it from me. I smiled back and gesture for him to continue. "Having a weapon close by is just convenient. Every Hunter and Huntress has made those little comfort adjustments since Remnant began. Even the First Huntress, if some stories are true, had a bow that simply folded down into a crossbow of sorts."_

 _I smiled again and carry on the road with him. When he separated from me on his own way, I made sure to slip a lotus into his pack. Something real to remember me by instead of relying on the memories."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant- The Hunting Lodges"_

* * *

"Who are you?" Jaune asked, wheezing out his words.

"Your mother did not say?" He shook his head. "Fascinating. She only gave you the address, I assume."

"Who are you?" Jaune wheezed again.

The old man simply smiled and shrugged. "I am Professor Dove, my boy, and I would like a reason as to why I should not tell your parents about this little… escapade."

Jaune froze. The pain from his chest, he knew, was not from the beating he had received earlier. The rapid pumps of his heart did nothing except push ice water through his veins.

His eyes wide, Jaune desperately searched for an excuse. "I-I…" He let his head drop and simply said "I'm sorry, sir."

"Well, that is nice to hear. Now, I am going to ask you some questions. I will spare you the lecture for now." The old man's smile vanished off of his face as he sat down on the small leather chair next to Jaune's bed.

"Now, my boy," Professor Dove said. "Why did you persist in attacking?"

Jaune turned to look at the grey haired man. "Well, I couldn't just give up."

"Why?" Jaune stared at the Professor, eyebrows scrunched together. "You were the only person there who had any idea how much you wanted to be a Hunter. You endured the assault admirably. I am still hearing talk from the other soldiers about the 'crazy kid with the death wish.'" The Professor chuckled a little. "So why did you not simply stop?"

Jaune kept his mouth shut as he considered his answer. His mouth was dry as he tried to push himself further upright. "Hunters don't quit."

"Ah and so we come to the crux of this." Professor Dove nodded gravely. "Mr Arc, we have a great many warriors roaming the lands. All very strong capable individuals who committed themselves to this cause from when they were children. I don't think-"

"I'd have started training from when I was eight years old." Jaune whispered in defiance. "Mom found me playing with Crocea Mors in the back yard. I was flicking open the shield and holding it up in front of me. Thing was nearly as tall as I was." He laughed and then grabbed his ribs, sighing in pain. "She just looked at me. I still remember it; she just looked at me with this… pain in her eyes. Next thing I remember was Dad coming out and he took Crocea Mors away from me." He closed his eyes and raised his voice. "I don't get it! They risk their lives every day for me, for people who I know don't care about them as much as they should. Why shouldn't I be willing to do the same? Why won't they let me help?"

Jaune's chin rested against his aching chest as he tried to conceal his face. A few shuddering breaths passed through him before Professor Dove spoke again.

"Fascinating." The old man said, his legs cracking as he stood up. "You are very fascinating, Mr Arc. If you will excuse me, I need to have a quick word outside. My dear, if you wouldn't mind... "

"Of course, Professor." The tonfa wielding amazon replied as the Professor eased his way out the door.

Jaune looked up from his miserable state. The Huntress stood tall and with her bright orange hair, reminded Jaune somewhat of a lighthouse. Her eyes mirrored the hair, the same shade of orange, as they narrowed at his face. It was clear to Jaune that she was a Huntress not from the weapons or the deep blue waistcoat she wore, but more from the scars that littered her bare arms. Numerous scratches and half-healed wounds punctuated the muscles. As Jaune sat up, he could see the start of what looked to be slacks. He flinched in pain as her hard voice broke the silence.

"You're a very convincing liar." She said, eyes fixed on his.

"What?" The boy replied.

"Please. You're the Arc's little boy. There's no way they wouldn't train you. Not with how often they go on patrol." She scoffed. "Like I said, very convincing." As she rolled her eyes, she flicked her tonfa back into the sheathes at her hips and folded her arms.

"Sure." Jaune replied. "I'm actually a high class Hunter who's seeking out trouble and I just wanted an excuse to get my butt handed to me."

"You don't get it, do you?" She said. "There are people who would cook off their arms to have the opportunity to speak to Professor Dove and just because you can't fight, you get to speak to him? And the little sob story! Oh, how noble you are! Oh, the woe and misery of not having to risk your life!" She barked out a laugh. "Poor you."

"Why'd you care?" He grinned, the smile not quite reaching his eyes.

She simply stared back at him. "I earned this." She gestured over her arms and weapons. "Spent years of training, putting in the hard hours, to get where I am now. The fact that you think you can make up any of that is an insult to me." She walked over to his bed and gripped the bed frame, her gaze turned furious. "I appreciate the fire you got in you. It's something that older Hunters and Huntresses lack. But you go out there with that "don't back down" attitude with your skills and you're going to get someone else hurt."

"Then I'll just have to get better, won't I?" Jaune retorted smugly.

His answer just made her chuckle bitterly. "You got guts, kid. I'll give you that." With that remark, she walked back round to the door and took up her vigil.

Jaune simply closed his eyes and tried to will his body into better health.

He awoke to the sound of the door opening and Professor Dove sliding his way in. The Huntress gave him a single meaningful glance which the Professor replied with a nod.

"What." Was her flat response. "You're kidding. They're accepting him?"

"He passed both tests, even if the second one was a little… unorthodox." Professor Dove chuckled.

Her laugh was still as bitter as she had been before. "Well. Good luck to him."

With that, she walked out of the room and left the two men alone.

"What's that about?" Jaune coughed out around the dull pain.

"Oh, Portia? She is… invested in this project. Been with the foundation for a long time." He walked over and patted Jaune's arm. "Not to worry, she trusts my judgement."

Jaune laughed a little in response. "I was actually talking about the whole "accepting him" thing."

Professor Dove froze for a second before stepping back. "That is a different matter." He walked back over to the door and straightened his shoulders. "What I'm about to offer you is not to be taken lightly."

Jaune simply looked at the man in confusion. "You're going to let me be a Hunter, right?"

Professor Dove shook his head and held out his hand in a "sort of" motion. "It's not quite that simple. All I can do at this point is offer you a chance. There will be more tests, more trials for you, if you decide to take this option."

"Well, what-"

"And I cannot tell you what it is until you say yes. I can only tell you that it will be hard, painful and there is no guarantee that you will become a Hunter at the end of it. But there is the possibility." The Professor stood still at the door. "It's your choice, Mr Arc."

Jaune sat in his bed and took a deep breath. Doubt assailed his mind as he sat on his bed, deep in thought.

 _Is this worth it? If that last test was any measure of what's to come, I'm going to be sent home as dog food. I'll have to go home, not only having lied but having failed on top of that!_

 _But… only if I fail…_

Another deep breath. His eyes gleamed with cold resolve as he answered.

"Alright. I'm in. What is it?" He said, looking Professor Dove right in the eyes.

The old man gave a wide grin. "Ahah!" He clapped, slapping his calloused hands together. "Good choice, my boy." He walked back over to the boy's bedside and sat back down in the leather chair. It creaked and groaned as the reed thin man sank into it and sighed in relief.

"Well, seeing as you're now part of this little project, I'll tell you about it. Tell me, Mr Arc, what would you say if I told you that there was a way to make Hunters and Huntresses overnight?"

"What, like those Atlesian soldiers?" Jaune said.

"No! No, those tin cans from that tinkerer Polendina have no business fighting alongside real human beings. No, I am talking about taking someone like yourself and giving them the power to Hunt down the Grimm." He said, hands clasped together.

"I'd say that's impossible." Jaune replied, eyes wide in disbelief.

"And until I came along, it was." He turned to look the wounded boy. "It has taken the last twenty years of my life and several dangerous plays with my own life but I have developed what I am calling a "Expansion Concoction."' The ancient man smiled indulgently as if offering out a tray of sweets to the younger boy.

"I see you are confused. Let me explain. You are aware of Aura, yes?" The lecturing tone slid easily in past the more jovial tone the Professor had before.

"Like the colours in the sky during Winter in the mountains?"

"No…" The old man simply smiled once more. "That would be aurora. No, I suppose your parents have done a better job of separating you from Hunting than I had anticipated." He sighed and shook his head. "Such a waste. Regardless, Aura is the manifestation of the souls of living beings. If you are alive and have a functioning mind, then you have Aura. You understand so far?"

"Right, gotcha." Jaune nodded along.

"Good! Now, what the concoction does is it expands the Aura of a living being to far greater proportions than that person would be able to access alone. It is essentially like plant food for the soul. And as the soul has an impact on the body, there should be an anstronomical increase in physical capabilities as well" The old man nodded once more, checking to see if Jaune was following along.

"Sounds amazing. Why aren't you trying it on actual Hunters and Huntresses then?"

The old man sighed. "You sound like the army men out there. Because, my dear boy, it is impossible to expand the Aura of someone that already has access to it. We have long been able to ignite the spark in others through mantras but... " The old man shook his hands in the air. "It is like an explosive. If it is already activated, throwing more Dust into it would do very little to increase the size of that explosion. But place that same Dust at the heart of the explosive before the boom…"

"It increases the potency of the blast…" Jaune put a hand to his forehead. "Right, I think I get it. And you're planning on testing this on me?"

"What? No! Well, not just yet anyway. Remember what I said about the tests?" Jaune nodded. "Those will help us select the best possible applicant. There are…"

The door echoed out a couple of knocks as a tall, rakish man walked in. His tailcoats flapped behind him as he scratched his stubble. "Well, look who's alive. I must be slipping." The voice was very familiar. In fact, if Jaune squinted…

"YOU!" he shouted, ignoring the lance of pain that went through his chest.

"Me!" The red cloaked man laughed back. "Professor, the higher ups need you for a moment. Something about paperwork or the like."

"Ah, yes. This again." He facepalmed gently before his legs popped another crack into the room. "It never gets any easier. Qrow, if you wouldn't mind staying here for a moment."

"Of course, Professor." He nodded as the Professor eased his way out of the room once more. "So," said Qrow, reaching for his flask. "How you feeling?"

"Like I just got slammed into a wall at high speeds. Know any good cures?" Jaune said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Hey now, that was just sparring!" Qrow looked at Jaune and saw the boy still angry. "Here. Try this, might take some of the edge off."

Jaune just waved his hand. "No thanks."

"Kid, you're 16. Old enough for a quick drink. Especially after the beating you took." He waggled the little flask again.

"Uhhh, actually…" Jaune held a hand behind his head.

"Huh. Really?" Jaune nodded. "Well, I feel worse now. I may have to take up drinking. Honestly, beating up a kid…" Qrow took a long swig of the flask, gulping down the rich alcohol inside. "Ahh, I feel better already."

"So who are you?" Jaune asked.

"Qrow."

"Right… Anything else you wanna tell me?"

"I don't actually feel bad about hurting you, although I was impressed by your ability to not take a hint and stay down." The older man laughed, causing the bright red cape behind him to flutter gently. "That's all you need to know about me, kid. I kicked your butt."

Jaune just laughed in response, half in pain and half just out of sheer exhaustion.

"So, what're you gonna tell your parents?"

The laughter abruptly stopped. "You really know how to kick a guy when he's down, you know?"

"I do my best. Still doesn't answer my question." The dusty haired man simply stared at the kid.

"I don't know. I'll talk to Professor Dove, I guess." Jaune shrugged, the tension in shoulders having lessened.

"And what if our good professor tells you that you have come clean to your parents? Kid, I've met your parents. I'm pretty sure you'll crushed into tiny pieces or locked up underground somewhere." The flat stare continued.

"Then I'll come back. I'm not giving up. I'd have thought you'd have realised that by now." The defiance roared back into Jaune's eyes, even if it didn't quite make it to the rest of his body.

Qrow just laughed again. "Well, fair enough." With that final statement he walked out the door, nearly bumping into the Professor on his way in.

"What's the news, Professor?"

"I am going to talk to your parents."

* * *

( **rwbyfan5** is still awesome for Betaing!

Thanks to **Firebird0315** and **NinjaFang1331** for favoriting the story!

Many thanks for the reviews as well. Always good to hear any feedback and compliments.)


	4. Chapter 4

" _The Hunting Lodges are as different as night and day when it comes to how they are run. On my travels, I had the pleasure of the company of Hunters and Huntresses from each of the main Academies and they were more than willing to tell me the grand successes that their academy had._

" _Oh, the structure provided by the Atlas Academy," went this charming young Hunter as he sat half naked in the firelight."Allows for students to excel in pre assgined roles. None of this "self-discovery" nonsense that other academies go for; you're given a role in combat that suits your fighting style and are trained to fill that role. Teams of four are set from day one and each Hunter and Huntress is paid a set amount by the Atlesian Government for their time. A consistent level of pay throughout with greater benefits for the more experienced, of course…" I wrapped my arms around him and we retired soon after._

 _A deliciously bold Huntress disagreed, naturally. As she pulled on her light silk top, she made reference to Shade Academy. "What good is it, Tatar, if you have these arrangements of teams and then one should fall? What if you don't have enough of one role to fill in the gaps? Do you unbalance the teams?" She shook her head, letting her deep teal hair fall across her back. "No, Shade does it better. Each pupil has a responsibility for their own training and finding a more experienced master. This can range from an older student to a wiser Huntress that takes a shine to them. Either way, it is the learner who must seek out the teachers. Teams are formed when they are needed and dissolved when they are not. As for pay, it is normally a matter of bounties and barter from smaller groups of travelers. Aiding local villages often means receiving an oddity or two." She laughed as I nodded along, writing down every word she said._

" _We are flexible, adaptable, and so we respond far quicker than the Atlesians ever do. As you no doubt noticed…" She gave me a quick kiss as my hand slipped into her pocket. My customary token placed somewhere close for her to find after I had left."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

Jaune, too exhausted from recovery, merely blinked slowly at the shocking words. "Huh?"

Professor Dove nodded. "I am going to tell them that you are to be my assistant on a long term trip. This will be the official cover story for us as we commence further trials." The Professor shook his head slightly in disbelief. "They should be here before too long. I would suggest you try and get mobile before they do." As the lab coat flourished behind him in a sweeping movement, Jaune quickly raised his voice.

"What happens if they ask about… this?" He gestured to his bandaged body.

"Lab accident. Dust can be very hard to keep stable at times, especially when you are working with medicinal compounds. Is there anything else?" The man's tone was polite if strained a little. His body seemed to be pulling itself out of the room while his head resisted.

Jaune shook his head and began to try and stretch his wounded limbs. The sharp staccato points of agony had faded into a trill of dull pains and aches as he lifted his legs off of the bed.

The door opened, leaving Jaune alone with his thoughts.

 _Well, I'm here. They haven't kicked me out… And they won't even tell my parents! I still have a shot! I'm one step further!_

He leapt off the bed, still being careful of the pain he felt and began to do a little victory dance. _Oh yeah, Jaune's gonna be a Hunter, Jaune's gonna be a Hunter. Oh yeah!_

His good cheer was dimmed somewhat by the arrival of a familiar face. Her orange hair had not changed and neither had the expression on her face.

"You, Arc." Came the dull grunts of Portia from the door.

"Yes, Ma'am!" The pain had not dulled his sense of sarcasm.

"I'm here to escort you to a waiting room. I can still break your arms if you get mouthy, though." Her hands drifted down to the tonfa at her sides as she clenched her teeth.

"No! No, I'll go quietly." Jaune followed the muscled warrior out of the room, wisely deciding not to say anything more.

The walk progressed in silence, punctuated by a steady rhythm of steps clacking against the floor. The walls, occasionally broken up by a wooden door, surrounded the mismatched pair like a metal cocoon.

Eventually, they arrived at the waiting room. Painted in warm peach tones, it stood out in stark contrast to the rest of the facility Jaune has just walked through. A set of glass doors were directly in front of them, letting in the last drops of sunlight from outside. There were places to sit, ranging from foldable chairs to more solid leather covered ones all the way up to a circle of couches arranged in a circle.

At the very centre of the circle stood Petros and Tethys Arc, dressed in their battle gear. Petros stood out clearer from the distance Jaune stood with Ilium placed safely on his back with Harpe safely stored within it. His armor, a muscled breastplate with a skirt of metal and leather, shined as if freshly polished. The blue sheen reflected onto his mother's own similar style. Built more for defence that his father's lighter set, Tethys was clad in a shimmering plate dress that covered her from head to toe. Her own weapon pair, twin axes dubbed Aurum and Chrysus, rested at her hips as she held her arms open.

"Jaune! Come here!"

He hobbled over to the metal clad duo and reached around for a one-armed hug. His shoulder just seemed to dig into his mother as he winced at her strength.

"Oh Jaune! When they said about the accident…"

"Don't worry, Mom." He said, smiling a little. "It wasn't too bad. They got some good data out of it!"

Petros just patted Jaune on the back. "Well as long as you're okay, that's the important thing. Honestly, I was a little worried you'd come here for those "Hunter Trials" I'd read about in Vale Hunting."

Jaune just froze. His father smiled, toothy grin showing off his teeth like a lion before a gazelle. "But Professor Dove explained what happened and how you dove to protect him in the lab when the Dust went a little unstable. How's the arm?"

"Oh, you know, fine. Little sore…" The guilty feeling crept up Jaune's back.

 _I didn't really lie before, but now I'm just forcing them out! They're gonna catch on, they're gonna catch on…_

"See?" Tethys pointed at him proudly. "If you'd been at those tryouts, you wouldn't have been able to help Professor Dove. You can still help people even if you're not a Hunter, Little Jaune." She smiled in much the same way Petros did as she wrapped up the wounded boy in another crushing hug.

"Professor Dove tells us he'd like to take you on a research trip, just to let you get a sense of what's going on with the wider research world. That sound fun?" Tethys said.

"I'd like to go. Professor Dove seems nice and the research is really cool!" There was no fake enthusiasm from the young Arc.

"Well, we're more than happy for you to go. If you need us, you can use borrow a Hunter's scroll and call us through there. And don't forget-"

"Kid?" came the gravelly voice from the side as Qrow stalked over.

"Oh! I don't believe we've met. Petros Arc." The older Arc held out his gauntleted hand.

"I'm Tethys. Who might you be?" The mother Arc smiled sweetly as her hands slid down gently to her weapons.

"Heh. Qrow Branwen. I'm a Hunter for this little outing. Nice to meet ya." He shook Petros' hand quickly before giving a brief bow to Tethys. "Kid's smart. Little stubborn though."

"Don't we know it." Both parents smiled as they looked at their son, who shrunk under the combined force of their gaze.

"Kid, Professor Dove is ready to move. We need to get going. Your weapon has been loaded onto the transport." With that, Qrow quickly scattered.

Jaune turned to his parents, catching the pride in their eyes as he reached around to give them both a hug. He gripped them tightly as they gripped back.

"You're moving on, Jaune. See you soon. Call us if you need us." His father, not prone to large displays of emotion, held a a whispered hint of something Jaune had longed to see for ages.

His mother was the same. Even as she hugged the thin boy, her voice remained the same as it always did. "You be safe now. Follow orders and make sure you come back home. We'll want to hear about you journey when you get back!" She let go of the boy as he walked away.

He stopped only once. He turned around and waved to his parents before running towards where Qrow had vanished off.

He never let them see the guilty expression on his face or the tear that rolled down his cheek.

"There a reason I don't get to take anything with me?" Jaune asked as he walked up to Qrow.

"Far as I can tell, security. Professor probably thought it'd be easier if you just took what you had." Qrow shrugged. "Heck, they'll probably confiscate the stuff from you anyhow."

The huge transport dominated Jaune's field of view as he held Crocea Mors close to his hip. The propulsion system roared into warm up as Jaune looked around for the Professor.

"Where's Professor Dove?" Jaune called out, trying to be heard above the engines.

"He's already gone, kid. He'll meet you there. Until then, I'm your nanny. Get in the bulkhead and we can get moving already." Qrow tapped Jaune lightly on the shoulder as he guided the younger man towards the great flying behemoth.

"Anything I need to worry about?" Jaune asked as he walked up the ramp.

"I dunno. You get airsick?"

* * *

"Kid, I'm not gonna say I'm disappointed. But you better get your butt over on the other side of this bulkhead before I throw you over there." Qrow demanded.

Jaune stood up and waddled over to the other edge, holding his stomach like a wounded animal.

The bulkhead came to an abrupt stop as soon as Jaune sat down and the large steel door lurched open. The crunching noise on the ground outside preceded a rush of cool fresh air.

"How… far have we traveled?" Jaune said uneasily.

"Go out and have a look for yourself, kid."

Jaune stood up again and managed to drag himself outside.

Mountains. The crisp cool air of the mountains filled Jaune's chest as he walked further out into the wilderness. The grass underneath his shoes seemed to be littered with little branches from the surrounding forests. The woods were eerily silent at this time of night save for the gentle roar of the engines behind him.

"Woah... "

"It's pretty impressive the first time. You'll get used to it, kid. Come on." Qrow just gestured over to a perfectly flat space of grass next to the bulkhead. Jaune moved over and simply waited as Qrow followed.

The two stood awkwardly close together.

Time passed.

A slight breeze passed through the clearing.

"So, is anything going to happen or…?"

"Shut it, kid." Qrow stamped his foot down, getting a loud clunking sound in response. "Wake up down there!"

The ground shuddered as it started to sink in a perfect circle.

"What the -" Jaune cried out.

"Just stand still and try not to vomit off the edge."

As the platform sunk further down, the ground sealed over their heads as the massive complex came into view.

"Welcome to the Prism Foundation, kid." Qrow chuckled.

The cavern ceiling came into view, revealing a twinkling night time sky of small lights all tied together. The deep grey of the rock surrounded the small village of houses and buildings that occupied the open spaces as the lift continued to sink further and further down into the ground. The metal creaked and shuddered, the sounds echoing distantly at the far end.

"Woah…" Jaune said, carefully turning around.

"Yeah, it's not bad." Qrow took a quick sip from his flask. "Pretty dry place though."

"Is alcohol all you think about?" Jaune said gently, his stomach sending warnings.

"No." Qrow replied. "Sometimes it's women."

The elevator slammed into the floor, shaking both occupants vigorously.

"Ohhhh…" Jaune groaned.

"Over there, kid!" Qrow pointed, frantically turning the boy around.

"I see our newest recruit is ready to go." The drawling, sarcastic voice dragged itself through the ears of those present. "This the Professor's pet project?"

"Yeah, he's all yours." Qrow just turned to the kid and swiftly patted him on the back. "Have fun, kid. See you around."

"Wait, Mr Br-" But as Jaune stood up, there was only him and what looked to be a shaved bear in uniform standing near the platform.

"I can't believe this. You there, soldier!" The heavy man gestured vaguely at one of the marching troops passing by. "Take this… recruit to the guest barracks and get him acquainted with the rest. Give him an access code for his locker as well." The bear simply walked away, shaking his head and muttering "Can't believe this… letting anyone in..."

The low ranked soldier simply walked over. "Follow me."

Jaune staggered behind the more composed man as he led him through a maze of pre-fab buildings. The dirt was well worn into the various paths that surrounded and interlaced the complex.

"Name?" Went the soldier after a couple of minutes.

"J-Jaune Arc." Went Jaune, still holding onto his lunch.

"No kidding." The soldier's eyebrows went up. "Thought they were trying to keep Hunters outta this program."

"Not a Hunter - I mean, not yet." Jaune gave a nervous smile to the as he followed along.

"Nah, not you. Obviously. I meant your folks. They didn't swing you into this?"

"No. They don't even know I'm here." He shook his head and continued walking.

Before too long, both soldier and civilian stopped outside a small wooden hut. "This here is barracks. You get down time and you ain't got leave, you come here. Any time else, they'll tell you where to be. Code for your locker'll be on the bottom. Make sure keep it safe." A nod took the place of any real goodbye as Jaune reached out for the handle.

The door opened, revealing an almost cosy atmosphere. The walls were decorated with various Hunter and Huntress pin ups from across Remnant as the orange glow of the light bulb spread throughout the room. Beds were lined up in two rows along each side underneath long panes of dirty glass. The only thing that stopped the large room from being a hostel were the military grade lockers that sat at the foot of each bed. A clear obvious reminder of what the occupants were here to do.

There were three people lounging around at the far end, huddled conspiratorially away from the door. A tall figure loomed over two average size people as they turned to face the intruder.

"They didn't tell us about any new recruits, did they?" Whispered one.

"No, they're generally pretty good on that." Went another.

"Shhh, he can hear us! It could be a test!" Finished the third.

Jaune walked over to them with his gait more steady. "Hi!" He said. "The name's Jaune." His hand held itself steady in the gap between them.

The group looked at each other before one of them shrugged and went "Delighted, Jaune!" and took Jaune's hand in his own. "Captain Devon of the Mistrali Expeditionary Force." If he hadn't said it, Jaune would have guessed as such from the rather distinct way in which he spoke.

The tall figure simply waved. "Bail of Vacuo. The Four Winds called me friend." Jaune simply stared in shock at that. _The shaved bear was correct; they're letting anyone in!_

The final one stared intensely at Jaune before nodding and saying in a thick Menager accent "G'day! I'm Aqua. Served with any ship that'd have me. What's your jack?"

"Huh?" Went Jaune, showing off his wit and knowledge.

"Your, ahem, "Jacket". What's your service record?" Captain Devon said.

"I, uh, don't have one."

"You mean you are fresh out of training and they sent you here?" said Bail, shaking her head.

"No, not fresh out of training." Jaune said awkwardly. "I mean-"

"Ahhh!" said Aqua, nodding. "You're a desk jockey! Some service but none of it worth writing about, eh? You got the build for it alright!" She slapped Jaune on the back, nearly knocking the weedy boy over.

"No! No, not that either." He tried to speak but was interrupted again.

"Are you telling us," said Captain Devon. "That you have no combat experience at all?"

Rather than try his luck at speaking again, Jaune nodded resignedly.

"Well." continued the Captain. "Can't say I expected that."

"They must have something in mind for him." said Bail, keeping her eyes lock on Jaune.

"Maybe they're looking for a civvie to test for a comparison?" Aqua questioned. "The Professor is big on the whole mental side of things, so I hear."

"Where'd you hear that?" went Bail, her eyes flickering towards the shorter woman.

"Not telling. Gotta leave me some secrets." Aqua said, winking as she did. Bail simply sighed in response.

"So, thin Jaune." Bail stuck her chin out towards the bed closest to the door. "That'll be your bed. If you got anything worth anything, put it in the locker. Else, some rat'll take it from under you." The harsh tone was more directed at her compatriots than at Jaune.

"Now, I don't know how your choker ended up in my locker. I certainly have no love for the feel of leather against me." The Captain rubbed his neck as if taking of an iron collar.

"Wait." said Jaune. "Where's your accent from?" He asked Aqua.

"Menagerie, mate." She said, keeping a wide grin on her face.

"So, where's your…" He gestured to her, moving his hand up and down.

"My…?" Her eyes then widened and she burst out laughing. "Oh! That's good! He thinks I'm a Faunus!"

"Well, I thought that Menagerie was…"

"Was what? Full of nothing but Faunus? Nah, mate. There's a fair share of bog standard humans walking about, even if we do stand out a little. Why, thinking I was hiding a tail? Or maybe that I was part baboon and my arse was gonna start glowing bright red? Hah!" She just laughed as Jaune sputtered out apologies.

"I'm sorry!"

"Nah, don't worry about it. Not the first time it's happened." She slapped the boy again, this time causing him to wince.

"Ah, Mr Arc?" The Professor's familiar voice drifted into his ears.

"Professor in the barracks!" Captain Devon called out, standing to attention. The other two shifted quickly into "at ease" stances.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?" His words might have sounded harsh but the slight indulgent smile told another story. He walked over to the group of recruits, shuffling his aged feet across the smooth floor.

"Mr Arc, if you would come with me."

Jaune followed the grey haired man out, ignoring the hushed whispers of his bunkmates. The base outside was eerily still. None of the rushed energy filled the vast empty space.

"How was your journey?" Asked the Professor

"Rough, sir. I'm pretty sure my stomach won't recover…"

"Ah, yes. Bulkhead travel is never fun." The Professor smiled gently.

"Was there a reason you wanted to talk to me, sir?" Jaune smiled in return.

"Mr Arc." The Professor began. His face sketched into an image of concern as he continued. "You are still certain you wish to go through with this?"

"Absolutely!" Jaune said instantly.

A flicker of pride passed over the older wrinkled face. "Very well. I merely wished to offer you my good luck. It will be a gruelling week and I do hope your... resolve holds out." Compared to the vicious slams his shoulder had endured inside, the firm tap Jaune received was like a feather landing on him. "I will see you tomorrow, Mr Arc."

As the lab coat wearing man walked away, Jaune silently walked into his new living quarters.

 _Not a home._ He thought. _I'll get to go home as a Hunter…_

He waved off the concerns of his fellow recruits. "I'm tired" was all that was needed to let them leave him alone.

 _Even if they're going to be chatting about me later. I can deal with that tomorrow._

With a small sigh Jaune lay down on his new bed and rest, unaware of the torments that would await him.

* * *

(Did you know that **rwbyfan5** could read the entire Library of Congress in a day? No? Well, judging by the speed at which he reads these, I'd figure it's certainly possible!

Many thanks to the newest followers, **heroupdude102** and **shunshrinking**!

As always, any comments are welcome!)


	5. Chapter 5

" _I met a wise man meditating at a temple in Lower Mistral on my travels who wandered with me for a day. When I asked why, he simply laughed._

 _To this day, I have no idea why he walked with me. His temple was well funded and he had no need of such distractions._

 _Regardless, I asked him what he thought of "Aura" and the Hunters and Huntresses who used it."_

 _He smiled at me as if I were a small child. "Aura is simply the shape of the soul. Just as your body has a form, its' arms and legs and chest, so too does the soul. That is what we call Aura."_

 _A very basic answer, I felt. After all, Aura was a huge topic of debate amongst the various scientists I had the pleasure of meeting._

" _They wish to count the grains of sand, those dressed in white." He replied as his long staff tapped against the ground. "They do not see the majesty of the beach or the ocean or even the shells on the beach. Aura is simply Aura." He shrugged and walked on._

 _I did not press the issue and instead asked the man what he thought of "Semblances" that Hunters developed. His eyes gleamed like a proud teacher._

" _Ah! That is a much more interesting question." He promptly spun on his heel and faced me directly. "My brothers and I at the temple have long debated what a Semblance is. My own position is that if Aura is the shape of the soul, then a Semblance is the expression of it. Just think about the Semblances that we have heard about and read about in the storybooks. In Mistral, Hong the Hunter was revered for his ability to turn the bones of the Grimm against them. So dedicated was he to Hunting that his very soul expressed that into the world through his Aura and Semblance."_

 _But what of those Semblances that have nothing to do with a personality? "Have you ever heard of such a thing, my friend?" He shook his head. "All expressions are of your soul, whether your mind wishes to acknowledge it or not. A Semblance always reveals something at the very core of the Hunter who uses it."_

 _I bow deeply at the end of our walk together. He smiles again and bows back just as deeply in repsect. "Keep your lotus, my friend." He said as he walked away, back to his temple. "I have gained enough from this. Save it for your next encounter." He whistled a merry tune as his long staff kept time with the beat._

 _I never did give away that lotus, although I have given away many since._

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

"Roll call in five minutes, subjects!"

The bleary eyed Jaune rolled out of bed as the thunderous thumping of feet against the floor. He looked towards his locker seeing his training outfit laid out on top of it. He pulled on each piece as quickly as he could. Beginning with the plain white shirt, he managed to be almost through the combat trousers before someone bumped into him.

"Hey, sorry buddy!" came the somewhat sincere voice as Jaune picked himself up.

"No problem!" Jaune smiled back. He pulled the trousers all the way up and began on the hard leather boots. The thousand laces took a minute too long as everyone in the barrack stood by their lockers as the shaved bear from earlier.

He stood taller than most of the other recruits there and easily wider than any two. His cold blue eyes flicked from person to person as he prowled the straight path through the beds. His shaved hair did nothing to cover the few scars that criss crossed his head. All this mattered very little to Jaune, who currently had his head buried in his boots.

"Recruit Arc! Why are you not dressed!" He growled.

"Almost done!" He replied back. As he finished doing the last loop, he raised his head straight into the man's chin. Thankfully, he missed by a couple of inches as he tried to stare at the man's eyes.

"You will be ready on time." The deep icy tone sent shivers through the other recruits. "When roll is called, Arc, you will be standing by the locker like the other recruits. Am I understood?"

"Y-Yes sir! Jaune's voice squeaked, causing a murmur of laughter through the other recruits.

"Outside!" The man barked.

The troops lined up outside and Jaune simply stood at the edge of one line. The man, who the young Arc mentally dubbed "Sergeant Bear", called out for the group to move out to the training course.

The trials, it seemed, were about to begin.

"Drop!"

The recruits dropped to the floor.

"Spring!"

They all jumped up.

"Dodge!"

A jump sent the entire troop to the left.

That was it. For an hour, Jaune Arc kept up with the pace. A call every twenty seconds managed to slowly chip away at his stamina but he maintained a steady rhythm.

Too bad for him the tests went on for three hours. He choked out breaths as his muscles tensed up into flaming balls of pain. He slid out of rhythm and his actions became sluggish.

By the end of hour two, Jaune Arc was a pile of wheezing and pain. His arms flinched into position and there was no rhythm at all in his movement.

"Arc!" Captain Bear shouted.

"S-s-sir!" Jaune shouted weakly back.

The Sergeant just stared at the boy and carried on calling out his instructions.

* * *

The afternoon held its own set of punishments.

"You will all be partnered up! You will disable your partner in non-lethal fashion! You will hold them down until I give my mark. If they manage to break out, then you will try to disable them again! Any damage caused to your partner will be noted down! Now…"

The list of partners were barked out at rapid speed. They all slid off to the sides of the large training area and Jaune found himself partnered with a small, slender warrior. She simply gave him a quick nod as she assumed a ready position. Jaune held out his arms in front of him as if he was trying to stop a train.

"Ready… Go!"

The next thing Jaune knew, he was pinned on the floor. The boot heel of his partner was jammed into the back of his head as his arms were being pulled out of their sockets.

He struggled against the pressure, wriggling left and right as he flailed his legs.

The boot heel only pressed harder into his head.

"Give, newbie." She said, keeping her voice carefully still.

"Not yet!" Wriggle. Wriggle. Flail. Jaune grunted with effort as his body shuffled against the cold floor.

"Oh, the hell with this." The pressure on his head abruptly stopped as Jaune tried to leverage that freedom further.

The last thing he felt was a dull crunching kick to the back of his head as the Sergeant called out "Recruit!"

* * *

Jaune awoke in his bed. The other recruits were lounging around and chatting on their bunks.

"So I heard that this training is every day…"

"Hey, you seen the Mistral Regional results? They say…"

"Arc's waking up. Can't believe what happened…"

Jaune simply sat up and rubbed his head. There were no bandages that he could find, just a slight bump where the heel had connected with his neck.

"Mate!" Aqua said, stalking over to the boy's bed. "How ya feeling?"

"I'll be fine." He held out a thumbs up and gave a cheesy grin.

Aqua just laughed. "Well, that knock hasn't done much for your personality. More's the pity." She smiled back. "Get to bed, Jauney boy. Next time, try not to annoy your partner." She laughed again and slinked back to her own bed. Jaune looked around to see the other recruits lying down in their bunks and decided to follow their example.

 _Well._ He thought. _At least tomorrow can't be as bad as today._

* * *

His eyes flicked open a little quicker as he rushed to his uniform. The room was already set up for roll call by the time Sergeant Bear stalked his way in.

"I see you can all learn!" He focused that same icy gaze onto Jaune before carrying on. "Good to see, recruits. Training ground, full speed!"

The troops rushed out, falling into familiar stances as the routine began anew.

"There will be three moves. When I say Roll, you will roll to your left! When I say Jump, you will jump in the air! When I say Press up, you will hold yourself in press up position until I say another command! Now, Roll!"

The brutal routine continued for a good hour. Jaune simply grit his teeth and grunted through the aching pains that rushed through him.

The Sergeant called out "Press Up!" and waited.

Muscles twitched. A few recruits started to breath heavily.

Time passed and the Sergeant said nothing.

More twitches. A bead of sweat slid down Jaune's cheek.

More time passed. Jaune let out a grunt of exertion. He could faintly hear the Sergeant whisper to someone as he looked up to see them looking at him.

 _Probably think I'll break first… Not. Gonna. Happen._

His mind was like iron. A steel fortress built upon a foundation of will. A mighty edifice from which his strength was drawn.

His body was more like jelly. He hit the ground with a slap as his cheek collided with the cold wooden boards.

"Recruit Arc! Stand to one side!"

 _Stand? I can barely crawl!_

Nonetheless, Jaune dragged his exhausted body to the side and tried to force his body better in time for combat training.

It did not work.

A vast array of different weapons were drawn as the Sergeant gave the order. None quite as elaborate as a Hunter or Huntresses, no shotgun tonfa or rocket lances here, but just as likely to maim the exhausted Arc. His arms were like lead as he hefted his sword and shield towards him.

 _They're gonna kill me. I'm gonna be turned into a fine red paste by the end of this._

"Stand with your partner from yesterday. You will begin on my mark! As yesterday, any injuries you cause will be written down!" Bear barked.

He stood across from the slender woman from yesterday. Her twin sai were blunted at the tips as she spun them around in her hands. She smiled, baring her teeth like she was about to eat. "You ready, newbie?" She said.

"Ready as I'll-" The sai lashed out and it was more through luck than skill that his shield held firm against the rapid assualt.

A casual flick disarmed the sword from Jaune's hand as it went spinning off onto the floor. Jaune managed to hold both of his arms behind his shield as he bore another flurry of strikes against it.

 _Hold out. I can push back!_

The warrior, still rushing around flicking out small strikes, simply growled a little as she tried to flicker behind him.

One sai was parried away by the force of Jaune's spin to stop her strike. The other struck Jaune straight in the throat.

"Gackh!" Jaune coughed as he collapsed to the floor.

The sai spun around once more before they were sheathed. Jaune's opponent walked away as he tried to stand back up.

The Sergeant simply gestured to two soldiers by the door and Jaune was carefully ejected from the training area.

"You're certainly getting acquainted with the barracks, aren't you?" Devon joked as the other recruits walked in.

"I'm doing my best." Jaune croaked out.

"Well, you didn't miss much. Just more combat drills and fitness tests. I do wonder what precisely they are looking for here." Devon stroked his beard, humming and hahing as he did.

"Strength?"

"No army has ever had a shortage of strongmen. Even if there was, they could easily go to the local circus and find animal wranglers and similar folk." Devon paused his thoughts as he turned to Jaune. "You thinking about quitting?"

"No!" Jaune shouted back, drawing the attention of more than a few recruits.

Devon stared at the young boy, paying careful attention to the wound on his neck. "You sure?"

"I'm not going back." The resolve gleamed clearly in the boy's eyes. "I go back now, I've lost. I've given up everything to be here."

Devon nodded with a flicker of not quite pride passing over his face. "Either way, best get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be just as bad." He walked away.

Jaune just lay his head down and tried to force his body to heal. It was too much energy to try anything else.

* * *

The day felt different from when he woke up. Jaune awoke, looking around the room to see only a few others moving around with him.

 _What's going on?_

He dressed in his uniform, carefully pulling on the shirt as it scraped over his throat. He stood by his bed and watched the other applicants hastily pull on their own uniforms. Shorts instead of combat trousers, vests instead of shirts and some very daring people went completely barefoot instead of using the boots. A costume parade of different styles and variations lined up next to him as Bear made his way in.

"You know the drill! Line up!

After a long fitness session, the feeling of difference manifested itself again at the combat training.

"Hand to hand this time! Same rules as before! I'd like one day without an injury, if you can manage that!" He stared meaningfully at Jaune and his partner.

The two warriors stood across from one another. Their eyes locked together, only one thought was running through his head.

 _Please don't punch me in the face, please don't don't punch me in the face…_

The Bear barked out a "Go!" and things got weird.

The world slowed. The motion through the air of Jaune's opponent created ripples that pulsed in time. Jaune could see the clear angle of attack and felt the power rise within him. The shield rose…

And Jaune Arc collapsed for the second time in three days. His eyes closed even before the punch had time to get close to his face.

* * *

"Is he still eligible?"

"Absolutely. This would not have happened otherwise."

"Explain."

"As far as I can tell, his body reacted to the stress we have put him under and tried to activate his Semblance."

"So he's got combat usable Aura? That rules him out, surely."

"No, no. That is the strange thing. His body was reaching out for energy that simply was not there, at least no more than any random civilian. It is entirely possible that the blow to the head on his first day" At this, the voice slipped into more aggressive tones. "Caused a crucial pathway to be missed."

"So what do we do now? He's clearly not able to follow the programs."

"I would not say that at all. Besides, I think it would take more than a little bump on the head to keep this one down."

"You sound like you've made a decision…"

"Well…"

A groan disrupted the conversation as Jaune opened his eyes. He looked around and saw two figures standing by his bed. The first was the Professor, his lab coat threadbare with frayed sleeves. The second was dressed in Vale military attire, something high ranking judging by the amount of metal and gold on show, and stood straight upright at his rather unimpressive height.

"Ah, he is awake." The Professor walked over to Jaune's bedside. "Mr Arc? How are you feeling?"

Jaune just groaned again in response.

"Good, good. That only shows that you are human." He patted the boy on the shoulder. "You will be fine come tomorrow. A bit of bed rest and perhaps easing off a little on the next days routine should see you well." The Professor nodded, causing his grey hair to shake.

"Professor, I understand that you mean well but I will not have any recruit sit out of exercises. There are reasons for-"

"I-" Jaune coughed. "I can do it. I'll keep up." Jaune slid further up his bed, letting the slight curve shift him further upright.

"There, you see? Nothing to worry about." The Professor turned and held a small smug grin on his face.

"Recruit," The military man said to Jaune. "You do realise that no-one is keeping you here. Whatever the Professor has told you about the project and the nature of the work is confidential but we are more than willing to let you go home-"

"NO!" Jaune shouted before falling into another fit of coughs. He looked to see the wide eyed shock on the presumed general's face. The coughing died down and Jaune's weak voice took its place. "Please. Don't send me home. I've come this far…"

More coughs punctuated the stillness of the room like gunshots through a museum. The general simply shook his head.

"Recruit, you are expected at the training field for morning exercises at 0700 tomorrow. If you are not there, we will assume that you have elected out of the program." On that cheery note, the general spun on his heel and marched his way out of the infirmary.

"Such a limited mind, that man." Said the Professor, shaking his head at the exit. "Still, a good man if a little strict." He turned to face the wounded boy again. "You know, it is not a mark of shame if you leave." He held up a hand to forestall Jaune's already building protest. "I know, I know. You do not wish to return home except as a Hunter. I simply wished to inform you."

Jaune nodded back. "I know. I've been told by the other recruits, the sarge and I've heard enough of the whispers…"

"They mean well. They see the pain and they think that what they say is a kindness." The Professor then smiled as he leaned in. "But you and I know different. I do not think that you will stop unless a Grimm sits on you. Even then, I am not certain that you would not simply dig your way out!" He laughed a well-worn laugh as he walked towards the exit.

"Professor?" Jaune wheezed out again. "Should I stay on?"

The Professor continued smiling. "You know the answer to that, Mr Arc. Now rest up. Tomorrow is an exciting day. We have a new combat instructor coming from Mistral. I think that you might be excited to see them..." Forestalling any more questions, Professor Dove walked out of the infirmary.

Jaune stared at the opposite wall and let his thoughts rush through him.

 _So, I have a Semblance but my body doesn't have enough Aura so I can't use it?_ He mentally shook his head. _Well, at least when my Aura finally kicks in, I know I've got something waiting for me to use._

 _But what did they mean about a decision?_

The thought tumbled around in his head for a little before Jaune finally lay down to sleep.

 _Three days down…_ flickered through his head as his eyelids slammed shut.

* * *

( **rwbyfan5** is still awesome. By now, you know why.

Special thanks to **Avalanche-dragoon** for favouriting this story!

I also have a new goal - To have a TV Tropes page for this story. I can dream, can't I?) 


	6. Chapter 6

" _I once had the opportunity to witness a Hunting Tournament on my walks around Mistral and let me say this first: They're not for everyone. They are bloody, brutal and potentially fatal combat scenarios that test both participants as they thoroughly beat the Aura out of each other._

 _With that out of the way I have never seen more grace, more strength or more ferocity than I have at one of the competitions. Perhaps it is the chance to test out one's skills against an opponent of similar power or the roar of the crowd or even the potential prizes and glory that offered by the organizers that draw in Hunters, Huntresses and crowds alike to these spectacles of martial destruction._

 _The fights last until ring out or until one combatant cannot continue. There is no time limit and the crowds are generally far enough away to prevent any mishaps from occurring._

 _There is no greater sight than watching a rocket propelled jousting lance thrust into the ground, cracking it and causing the opposing Hunter to fly out of the ring into the stands. I'm pretty sure I've only heard Grimm roar as loud as I have the crowd on that day._

 _I asked a Huntress/Hunter paired team how these tournaments came about. "From what I heard," went the Hunter "It used to be a show of wealth and power to have Hunters and Huntresses take time out to fight each other. Showed that you had enough troops to defend the village or town or province that you were in control of while also showing off your influence by getting particular Hunters and Huntresses to fight at your tournaments."_

" _Funny," went the Huntress. "I heard it was originally training exercises that people just watched. Eventually, someone offered training space in exchange for getting control over who saw and who didn't. The rest just leads up to today with the Tournaments." She shrugged and slid her arm round her partner._

 _I left them with just one lotus that day as I walked away, whistling a tune I'd heard some time before."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

The pillow was soft, the sheets were warm and comforting and Jaune Arc was already making his way to the training area from the infirmary. The increasing thumping noise of feet hitting dirt blended into the general morning noise of the base.

 _Man, I'm feeling great! Whatever they gave me must have really worked! I feel like I could- OH NO-_

The two bodies collided mid step before Jaune was thrown to the ground in a messy heap.

 _Man, today hasn't even started and -_

"Sorry!" The other body went as they held out a hand.

"Nah, it's no problem. I'd've probably fallen over on my own anyway." Jaune laughed as he started to get a closer look.

Crimson locks framed viridescent eyes wide with humour. A small nose took its' place above deep rose lips, all painted on a gently tanned canvas. Toned, battle hardened muscles provided an ideal framework for the bronze corset and knee high boots that gleamed even down in the cavern. The red sash flowed across She hugged one arm close to her as she stared back into his eyes.

 _Damn…_

"No, no, I really should be looking where I'm going." She laughed a little. "To tell you the truth, I'm a little lost. Do you know where the troops train?"

Jaune took a moment to stop catching flies and shook his head. "Sure!" He said, trying to cover his staring. "I'm just heading over there myself, miss…"

"Nikos." The warrior said, pushing her gaze to the side. "Pyrrha Nikos."

"Well, if you'd like to follow me, I'll get you there fast as anything." Jaune smiled a wide grin, apparently oblivious to Pyrrha's own wide eyes.

The two quickly fell into step side by side. The surge of energy that had propelled Jaune out his bed seemed to do little to prevent his awkward strides from nearly being outpaced by the tall woman next to him.

"Where are you from? We've got people from everywhere so don't worry about not fitting in or anything." Jaune asked.

Pyrrha laughed again before turning and seeing the serious expression on Jaune's face.

"I'm from Mistral." She said awkwardly.

Jaune nodded. "You might want to speak to Devon then. He said something about "proper tea" and "couldn't get a good cup if he sold his soul." Don't know if that's a Mistral thing or a Devon thing." He smiled again, keeping his grin up in the face of this odd conversation.

Pyrrha just stared at the Arc for a little before nodding uncertainly. "Tea is certainly… different in Vale than it is Mistral."

"Is it? Tastes like bitter water most of the time to me." Jaune shrugged. "Almost there. Are you a new recruit?"

"What makes you say that?" She asked.

"The way you move. Most of the people on the base move like you, all tense and stiff. Though, I suppose you seem more at ease with the armor you're wearing so I'm not sure."

Pyrrha just smiled as she shook her head again. "No, I'm not a recruit. Actually, I'm here to-"

"Miss Nikos!" A familiar bark came from the training field. The Bear prowled across the small distance as he saw Jaune. "And Mr Arc. What a surprise, you here alive." He laughed roughly before switching back to his normal cold demeanor. "Aren't you just the gentleman, escorting a high class Huntress like she's some Vacuoan rose in need of a knight."

"She's a Huntress?" Jaune replied in alarm.

"Are you kidding? She's the three time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament! Now, get your butt in the training ring for exercises or I'll have you running laps around the base until your eyes fall out! Move it!"

Jaune sprinted the distance in record time and joined in with the line of other recruits, causing a ripple of murmurs and whisper to flutter around the room.

"I thought he was dead…"

"He's a robot, I just know…"

"He's a plant, no way they'd put a civvie through this kind of hell…"

"Recruits, ready!" The Bear shouted. "Today, we are forgoing the usual fitness regime." Another murmur was quickly overwhelmed by the loud roar. "Before you get too comfy, rookies, you will all have the opportunity to make yourself more visible to the other testers on this program today! Allow me to present your trainer for the day, Miss Pyrrha Nikos."

The warrior princess from earlier glided her way in, her javelin and shield already drawn. Her steps barely made any noise as she seemed to float her way to the front of the class.

"Miss Nikos here is going to be fighting the lot of you today and making her own assessment on your skills. Those she deems proficient will have added a positive mark in the eyes of the examiners. Those she does not will be noted down. You do not have to beat her; Hell if you did that you'd have proven you don't really don't need to be here at all. All you have to do is prove that you deserve to be here to her."

With a flick of the wrist, the javelin in her hand spun around as she settled into a ready stance.

"Now, who's first?" The Bear snapped finally.

Throughout the military man's entire speech, Jaune was locked into a fierce debate in his own mind.

 _She's gonna kick us so hard. Have you seen those legs? We'll be kicked all the way back to Glen!_

 _We just had to go and be flirty, didn't we. "You seem so comfortable in your armor…" You moron! She'll rip out our skull and beat us to death with it!_

 _She's a Hunter. She won't do that._

 _Oh? And what do you think she'll do? Hmm?!_

 _Well, just think about that spear she's got…_

Jaune mentally flinched at the images his brain paraded through his mind. He subtly crossed his legs as his thoughts raged once more.

 _Listen, all we have to do is not let her pummel us too bad. She's a Huntress. We're not._

 _That'll be great comfort later. "Fantastic! She didn't pummel us too bad! Only a broken arm, both legs ripped off and a gunshot wound where there should not be a gunshot wound!"_

 _Shut up! The first fight is about to start._

A large recruit stepped up to the centre of the rough circle that had formed on the training field. There was much shoving and jockeying for position as recruits vied for the best views.

"No way they got a real Huntress here. Especially Pyrrha freakin' Nikos! She'd be in Mistral celebrating with her fans, not here with us!"

He twirled his long scimitar around his heavily muscled body as he shouted in a faint Vacuoan accent. "This'll be over like a flash!"

It was. One instant the man was charging in with a sweeping attack to the chest; the next, he was sprawled on the floor, clutching his chest as the audience dodged the sword that flew past them.

Pyrrha didn't look out of breath. She didn't even look like she'd moved. She simply stood there in her same ready stance.

"Who's next?" The Bear offered to the crowd.

That first bout set the tone of the day. Someone would volunteer, or towards the end of the day be volunteered, and have their butts handed to them by Pyrrha. Most lasted longer than the first cocky soldier admittedly but none survived with any shred of pride intact.

Before too long, Jaune was called up. Someone, he thought possibly Aqua or Devon, had graciously brought Crocea Mors with them.

 _Thanks for the thought guys… Unless they knew this was coming and wanted to see if I'd get knocked on my ass…_

Either way, the familiar steel weight in his hands was rapidly unfurled to full combat readiness as he stood in his own combat stance. His feet stood firm as he nodded to Pyrrha across the room.

She nodded back and the field went quiet.

Neither combatant moved; one out of fear and the other out of strategy.

 _If I can just move around her,_ Jaune's brain began. _I might be able to strike at her back and then maybe at her spear arm? Possibly just got for a flurry straight off if she makes the first move…_

 _I'm going to break him…_ Pyrrha's thoughts said. _He's a civilian and he seemed nice enough earlier but he's clearly got no skill in the ring._

Eventually, Pyrrha decided to try and end it quickly. Her muscles tensed as she swung what she felt was gently at his shield side.

The blow gonged around the recruits as Jaune stood stalwart against the catastrophic force of the strike.

 _Oh, she's not messing around. I've got to try and strike back before she bulldozes me completely!_

He dove forwards into Pyrrha's guard, thrusting his sword straight forward at her corseted armour. It barely managed to scrape the first layer of polish off before the brutal combo of counter strikes pounded Jaune into the ground.

But that meant nothing to the crowd.

"Did he just…"

"Must have been a fluke…"

"Took balls to lunge straight at her…"

All Jaune could think about was the pain crescendoing through his chest.

"Stay down, kid. Professor told me to keep your fool butt from getting sent to the infirmary again." The Bear's face softened slightly. "You did good, kid." He nodded before calling out to the other recruits. "Come on, recruits! Who's gonna take on the Lion Heart?"

Jaune just propped himself up against the side fence of the field and watched the other matches pass by.

Jaune walked out, hobbling his wounded body across to rest at the barracks.

"Hey!"

He turned round to see Pyrrha charging at him, long strides quickly closing the distance.

 _She's gonna try and kick me to back to Glen._

 _I warned you!_

Jaune just held his face away from the inevitable strike and closed his eyes.

A few agonizing seconds passed before he opened his eyes and saw Pyrrha with a half smile on her face.

 _Okay, so no ultra kicking?_

 _Don't let your guard down!_

"Are you okay?" The gladiatrix asked, struggling not to laugh.

"Yeah… Can I help?" The boy asked in response.

"I need to talk to you. Urgently." Pyrrha grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the outside of the training ring.

"How did you do that?" Pyrrha said, her smile not having faded.

"Do what? Get slammed into the ground?"

A lyrical laugh burst out from Pyrrha. "No! No, whatever you did to hit me before that."

Jaune shrugged. "No clue. Just got lucky I suppose."

She laughed again as he joined in half heartedly. "I suppose. I'll walk you back."

The two fell into more comfortable steps next to each other as they gently pounded the dirt back to the barracks. Pyrrha's steps occasionally put her ahead of Jaune until she slipped back to his side.

"You didn't seem surprised earlier when you met me." Pyrrha half whispered to Jaune. "Did you really not know who I was?"

Jaune paused to consider his answer. "No. Sorry about that."

Pyrrha said nothing as a small concealed smile drifted across her face.

There was a relaxed silence as they continued onto the barracks. None of the general chaos of the base touched them as Jaune stood outside.

"Thanks." He said, nerves rushing through him like a tsunami.

"No problem! See you tomorrow!" She slammed her fist into his back, causing him to go flying into the door. "Sorry!" She said, raising her hands up to her chin.

Jaune just groaned in reply. "I'll be fine!"

He opened the door, seeing every head turn towards him in perfect unison.

A beat ran through the room before he was hounded with questions.

"So, getting in a little extra time with the new instructor eh?"

"Fast worker! Bet you got to show her some moves!"

"Mate!" Aqua's familiar voice caught his ears. "How'd you get Pyrrha Nikos to talk to ya?! Girl doesn't even give interviews unless there's a tournament on!"

Jaune just waved them all off. "She just wanted to talk about the training."

The crowd groaned and dispersed as quickly as it had formed. Leaving only Bail actually in any close vicinity.

"Everything alright?" Jaune asked.

"Why do you persist in this?" She asked, voice full of concern.

"Is that gonna be everyone's question? I just do. That gonna be enough for you?" Jaune said, his voice dripping with exhaustion.

"No." Bail walked over to him. "It won't."

Jaune paused. _Oh, this can't be good._

"You are like something out of a storybook, Jaune." She said, concern still apparent in her voice. "A normal boy from a peasant village strikes out on his own to fight monsters and demons. It's like a Hunter legend I heard in Vale a while back."

"Tell me!" Jaune replied with a sudden burst of enthusiasm. "Sorry. I'm a big reader and I used to love those stories."

"Hah!" She laughed high and loud. "You are like my little boy at naptime. Very well. I'm not quite sure where it comes from but I heard a story about a warrior dressed all in black stalking through the forests of Vale looking for Grimm prey to hunt."

"I don't think I'd look that good in black…"

"Hush." She rebuked gently. "Let me finish. They say that the warrior was actually a small boy once, who saw his village burned to ashes by the Grimm beasts. The story then goes on about an ancient land with a mystical elixir that they gifted to the boy on the condition he fight those who destroyed his home." She laughed lightly. "And then they made him their king! Or so more extravagant tellings of the tale go."

Jaune just listened in rapt attention as she finished up her impromptu storytelling. "So, you think I'm going to be king?" He asked jokingly.

"No, but I think those who run this place would do well to read some stories. You are by no means a skilled warrior." Jaune just grumbled. "But you don't go down. There is an old saying from Mistral that I think you should take to heart: 'Good warriors fall only once. But great warriors fall down seven times and get up eight.'"

"I've heard that before!" Jaune shouted back. "Mom used to have that engraved on her belt. 'Seven times down, eight times up.' Wonder how she found out about it."

"Don't worry for tonight." She patted his shoulder gently. "For tonight, know that people are talking about you. You were only of only a handful to actually touch Pyrrha Nikos in combat and the only one she graced with a conversation. I'd say that's enough for the day." Bail walked back to her bed as she talked animatedly with Aqua.

Jaune just lay down on his bed and let the tension from the day flow out of him.

* * *

He couldn't sleep.

He tossed and turned in his bed, shifting his sheets to try to cool down or warm up..

He still couldn't sleep.

Jaune Arc stood up and walked out the door of the barracks. There was no movement outside as usual.

 _So, I've probably got three different eyes on me at the moment. No way they're just letting people walk around out here._

He walked around the barracks in an effort to force the tension out of his body. Seconds flowed into minutes as his attempts failed one after the other.

His efforts were interrupted by a nearby voice. "You're kidding, right?" Jaune ducked behind the building

 _Qrow. That grey haired son of a-_

"I still firmly believe he is the best choice. You fought the boy; you have seen his potential."

 _Professor?_

"Yeah, Prof, I did. And I don't think that giving a kid who writes directions on his shoes the kind of power you're talking about is smart!"

"Keep your voice down!" The Professor hushed.

"Prof, you ain't gonna shut me up."

"I have a bottle of Glen Whiskey that I am willing to share if you keep your voice down."

Qrow's voice paused. "Alright." Jaune could hear the half hearted shrug the man gave.

"Professor?" A third voice came. In contrast to how it had sounded earlier, it was composed and almost cool in its' delivery.

 _Pyrrha! What's she doing here?_

"Ah, Miss Nikos. You have your evaluation ready?"

"Yes, sir." The pause was a little shorter than Qrow's. "Under the criteria that the higher ups gave me, Jaune Arc would be a terrible candidate for the Expansion treatment."

 _Damn._ The words hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest.

"I told ya, Prof, they ain't going to let you-"

"And what about the criteria I gave you?" The Professor soldiered on.

"He'd be ideal. Having observed his initial testing videos in Glen and the more recent footage from the program here, I see no reason why he shouldn't receive the treatment."

 _Alright!_ Jaune mentally fist pumped. _Go Pyrrha! I knew I liked you for a reason!_

"They'll never go for it." Qrow said. "They want soldiers; mindless order taking drones to fight wars."

"And that is why I managed to get the higher ranking members to agree that I should get first choice of subjects in exchange for exclusive distribution in the Vale standing forces."

The silence echoed throughout the courtyard. "Damn, Prof."

"I did not get to this age without learning a few things. By the way, how is Ozpin? I hear-"

"You probably hear wrong. Oz ain't the type to let anything slip out."

"Ozpin?" Jaune whispered before clamping his hand over his mouth.

"You hear that?" Qrow's voice said.

"Ah, probably just a rat or something. They seem to be far bolder at the moment."

Qrow's voice just "hmmmed" in response.

"Professor." Pyrrha asked. "Why him? Of all the people here, why him?"

 _Okay, not liking you so much now…_

"I have had an opportunity to talk to him. He is very convincing." The Professor's pride was apparent even as his voice started to fade into the distance.

"You're nuts, Prof. Now, how about that bottle of Glen you got?"

The voices faded out as Jaune decided to slink his way back into the barracks, all energy having left him.

* * *

"Think he heard?" Qrow laughed.

"Oh, absolutely. If you had been any louder, everyone would have." The Professor joined in.

* * *

Jaune woke up as the other recruits did. He slide on his clothes and stood by his bed ready for the Bear to bellow in on his morning routine.

Like the rising of the sun, with all the finesse of a roaring bull, the Bear stormed his way into the barracks.

"Recruits!" He bellowed. "Outside, to the training field on the double!"

Jaune was about to join the marching horde before the Bear put a hand on his chest. "Not you, son. I've been told to keep you here under watch for the forseeable future. Guards!"

Two large soldiers walked into the barracks, parting only to let the other recruits out.

"Why?"

"The higher ups have told me that your performance was an "anomaly" and that you will be detained until such time as the anomaly can be determined. Stay here, son. Don't make them hurt you." He turned to the audience of staring troops. "Come on! Last one outside has to do laps in between calls for morning fitness!"

The other recruits sprinted out at lightning speed with only a few stopping to turn and give Jaune a last glance. The barracks were soon barren of any human life save for Jaune and the soldiers standing at the door.

 _But I thought…_

Time passed and with it, Jaune's mental state started to slowly deteriorate.

 _They were lying. They were going to kick me out and they knew I was there and I'm now going to have go home and explain to Mom and Dad and my sisters and oh no I'm going to have to become a farmer or a shopkeeper and watch my parents fight and-_

"Mr Arc?" The Professor's aged voice said.

"I'm onto you!" Jaune cried out, giving the Professor the pointer finger.

The Professor just stared blankly at Jaune for a moment before laughing riotously at the paranoid boy.

"Ah, ahaha, I had not anticipated that you would have taken the news like this. Please, sit down." He gestured to the bed. "I understand that you heard myself and Qrow last night?"

The boy just nodded guiltily.

"Then you know I have made my decision."

"But the guards…"

"A necessary precaution, I'm afraid. Should the other recruits find out, it may have caused some friction."

"Oh." Jaune paused for a moment before the realisation finally hit him. "Holy-!"

"Yes, yes Mr Arc. I know." The Professor simply smiled.

"I mean, I've got to ask. Why?" Jaune exclaimed.

"You want to help, to act my boy, even though you lack the power to do so. A rare enough gift in a world such as this." He kept that same grandfatherly grin and walked out of the room. "You will be moved to the procedure building off of the base. Tomorrow, my dear boy, we will begin. I must prepare the solution at the site." He walked out of the room, leaving Jaune to quickly grab what few possession he had brought with him. He held out Crocea Mors and smiled fondly.

 _It's finally happening…_

* * *

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	7. Chapter 7

" _Legendary Hunters can be found in stories from the vast deserts of Vacuo to the wide verdant fields of Mistral. But one tale seems to have pervaded cultures all over Remnant._

 _I speak, of course, of the legend of the First Huntress._

 _No matter where I go or who I talk to, everyone refers to this mythical figure by the same title. I once ventured up a mountain to a monastery which supposedly only sent down people for food once every ten years and even they had heard this story._

 _I later discovered that they had a strange nourishing root that flourished in mountain environments but that's for another time._

 _The story follows the same basic flow:_

 _The Grimm were a fact of life in the old days before the discovery of Dust. The people had Aura but beyond a few isolated cases, none could use it to any great effect._

 _Humanity suffered. The world devoured people with brutal efficiency._

 _There were isolated villages that held out. One of them (and the location changes depending on where you hear the story) was home to the First Huntress._

 _Her actual name is never said._

 _One day, a horde of Grimm swarmed the village and destroyed everything while the First Huntress was out hunting small game for food. Her partner (which, again, changes wildly based on who is telling the story) was found in several pieces, each being devoured by Grimm._

 _But she did not give into despair. In the face of what most consider to be the darkest possible moment, the First Huntress picked up her bow and arrow and fought back._

 _She remembered the good times with her family. Her hope, her joy and what the monsters had done to them. But she never let that core of happiness go._

 _That glow flourished into Aura. The Huntress was fully forged that day and gave the name "Hunting" to the fighting of Grimm._

 _Beyond that, the story tends to deviate in a wide variety of ways. There are those who say that she had children and began several grand lines of ancestry that went on to form the various kingdoms. Others say that she spent the rest of her days Hunting, inspiring future Hunters and Huntresses alike as she slaughtered the beasts that took her life from her._

 _Only one thing remains certain: The Huntress ended her life with no name, no great fortune or wealth; but her legend endures still._

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

"Mr Arc? We're due to land in around ten minutes if you want to brace yourself." The voice over the intercom went.

"Okay…" Jaune said, his stomach once again trying to tell him not to fly.

The bulkhead was as spartan as it had been as the last time he'd flown on it with one addition.

"How are you feeling?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune gave her a quick smile before bending over his seat again. He maintained that smile even through the waves of pity that he could feel from Pyrrha.

 _I'll be fine, just gotta make it through this, I'll be fine, just gotta make it through this..._

 _Oh please just let it be over soon._

The whole aircraft shuddered. "We're down, Mr Arc. Miss Nikos, if you could escort him to the building. We need to be back at base ASAP." The bulkhead opened, revealing the bright white architecture in front of them.

Pristine white paint covered the high walls of the steel building as Jaune managed to hobble his way out. Large windows gleamed in the afternoon sun, contrasting against the wooden door that almost seemed to hide itself in the blinding lights. Nobody in the surrounding streets seemed to notice anything strange about it as they walked past.

All of which was lost on Jaune as he promptly decided to empty his stomach right near the walls.

"You know, there are some good powders I know that might be able to help that." Pyrrha said gently laughing.

"Why must you mock me?" Jaune whined, trying to keep a small smile from appearing on his face.

Pyrrha just shrugged as she led him towards the door. "You'll be bunking in the visitors quarters- Ah! Professor!"

The grey haired man stalked from the slow opening door as he blinked and held his hand up in front of the sun. "Ah, Mr Arc and Miss Nikos. Right on time." His voice sounded rougher like he'd drunk a sandpaper cocktail. "I do hope you had a pleasant journey?"

"Professor? Are you okay?" Jaune asked.

"Fine, fine, my boy. Just had a few complications with the lab. All is well now." His smile didn't quite reach his eyes as he waved off the looks of concern he received. "Please, get settled in your room. I will be in shortly for a few… checks before the procedure." He walked away from the pair, taking a deep breath to inhale the fresh air.

Jaune turned to look at Pyrrha questioningly who just shrugged and pointed to the entrance.

The room was clinical in its' lack of home comforts. The small bed and desk covered the majority of the floor, leaving only a square section of tile floor visible. The sheets were paper thin and felt coarse against Jaune's skin as he lay down on them.

"These are your quarters," went Pyrrha, still smiling. "For now, anyway. Just get comfy and I'll see if I can't get the Professor to come see you a bit quicker." She walked out, but not before giving the blond boy a quick glance over her shoulder.

 _Cute. Little naive, but definitely cute._ Her inner monologue provided.

The steps fading down the hallway were the last external noise Jaune heard for a while as he decided to gather his thoughts.

 _So this is it, huh. This time tomorrow, I'll be a full Hunter or at least have the power of one at my fingertips…_

 _Is this really what I want? To have power handed to me like some toy for a whining child?_

 _Well, how else were we ever gonna do it?_

Jaune couldn't answer that so instead he drifted his mind to more enjoyable thoughts.

 _She's hot._

 _She could punch us through the ceiling and crush the pieces into a very fashionable set of jewellery._

 _Yeah? And?_

 _Don't. Flirt. With. The. Huntresses. Not unless you want to end up like Dad's old friend Eoshin._

 _But then how did Dad end up with Mom?!_

The little voice in his head did not retort.

 _Besides,_ Jaune carried on, _She knows she can boot me from here to Mistral. She's got a great left hook as well!_

 _True, true…_

The mental conversation continued along these lines for a while with Jaune debating the various attractive qualities of Huntresses he'd met.

"Mr Arc?" The ragged voice from earlier came.

"Ah! Professor!" Jaune replied. "What do you need?"

"Just a quick chat, my dear boy." The Professor sat down on the chair at the desk and gestured for Jaune to sit on the bed. "Do you ever wonder about the Grimm?"

Jaune paused for a moment as he considered his answer. "The... Grimm, Professor?"

"I often find myself wondering whether it is worth doing all of this to fight those damnable beasts." The Professor responded. "Their numbers never seem to go down even as they hurl themselves at our defenses, losing hundreds every week. And what does humanity have to show for it? A few pockets of stability amongst a sea of chaos." He scoffed.

"But what else can we do but fight?" Jaune replied. "I mean if we give in, aren't we just waiting to be eaten? At least this way we have some shred of pride left to protect…"

The Professor just shrugged. "Eh, I am just an old man grumbling." His eyes lit up a little as he clicked his fingers together. "I remember. The procedure. It will hurt a great deal."

"I'd sort of suspected that." Jaune said.

"Good, good. Do you ever wonder why I picked you Jaune?" The Professor smiled.

"I thought it might've been because I wouldn't stop trying. That or the strength of my family might have swayed you somehow…"

The Professor's croaking voice gave way to an even more haggard laugh. "My dear boy, it is not simple strength that beats Grimm! Else, they would have overrun us ages ago. No, it is the will to act that defeats them. The will to say 'No more, beast!' and stand your ground when fear tempts you away. To tell a beast of legend that has resided where it has for an age, 'No, you move.' That is what will defeat them.

"My… benefactors think that I am choosing you for sentimental reasons or for your name and heritage. No, Jaune. I chose you because of that same will. You were not raised a Hunter; no great trainer or inherent talent spurred you on. But still you never stopped wanting to help."

"You must remember that. The will you showed over the past week must remain here." The Professor tapped the Arc on the chest. "You do not give up. You keep fighting until either you're gone or the world has been forced to move around you." He stared into the boy's eyes, waiting for a response.

"I will, sir." Jaune smiled back. "After all, it takes more than a bump on the head to stop me."

"Yes! Hah, very good!" The Professor laughed once again. "Ah and now I must go. Rest up, Mr Arc. I will see you in the morning." The Professor just patted the boy as he walked out of the room.

Seeing no other options, and having exhausted his mental discussions from earlier, Jaune lay his head down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

 _The cool calm swell of the ocean lapped around his feet._

 _A pulsing glow off in the distance…_

 _The world slowed. A familiar hand wrapped around him and dragged him into the murky depths._

"Jaune!" Pyrrha's enchanting voice called to him.

"Mmmwha?" Jaune replied in charming fashion.

"You're needed in one hour. I've been sent to retrieve you." She said through the door.

"Right, right…" Jaune said, his eyes only half open.

He swung his feet out of the bed and stretched his arms wide above his head.

 _So today's the day…_

A small smile crossed his face as he got dressed. An idle thought passed his mind and he decided to voice it.

"How'd you know the Professor?" He asked as he slipped.

"Hm?" Pyrrha said. "Oh, I work pretty closely with the Foundation. I just work with the Professor more than anyone else."

"So, the whole "three time champion" thing…"

Jaune heard the smile through the door. "A leftover. I was young when I first entered those tournaments and by the time Prism asked for my help, I was involved in a few too many deals to stop." A small pause passed through the door. "I'm probably going to get out of it next year."

"Huh? Why?" Jaune asked as he tied up his boots.

Pyrrha sighed. "No real reason. The money's nice and the fights are… okay I guess but it's just not what I want to be doing."

"Let me guess," Jaune said, opening the door and revealing his simple outfit. "Professional musician?" He smiled.

She laughed in return. "No… but not bad. No, I want to be a real Huntress. I've been on a few training missions but…"

"But what?"

Pyrrha just shook her head. "No, it's nothing. I'd best get you down to the procedure room." She held out her hand to the long corridor. "This way."

The two quickly fell into sync as they marched through the halls. No art adorned the walls nor did any signs point the way but Pyrrha never once had to stop.

By the time they arrived, the room was abuzz with activity. Several technicians were fussing over the last details on a great goliath of a machine at the centre while lab coat wearing individuals strolled around writing on clipboards. Over to one side stood a few military officials, all prim and proper in their regalia and medals. The Professor stood over opposite, holding several small vials of clear liquid.

That buzz stopped the moment Jaune walked in, as everyone stopped and stared.

The pause passed just as quickly but Jaune managed to catch a few different snippets over the general chatter.

"That's him? Well, at least we'll be able to see the difference."

"It'll work just fine within specs. Just as long as they don't try and push it too hard."

"Arc? I've heard that name before…"

Jaune just sighed as he walked over to the Professor.

"If you would take off your boots and your shirt then step over to the machine." The Professor said curtly.

Jaune complied, revealing his underwhelming physique to the room. The walk to the machine felt like having a thousand needles stabbed into him as he took each step. His every move felt like a test to be analysed.

Thankfully, it was over before too long. The great metal goliath lay fearsome and long with a massive jaw of a door leading into a coffin sized compartment.

"Mr Arc?" A smiling young nurse said. "If you'll lay down here, we can begin preliminaries." The man held out a hand towards the empty section.

Jaune lay down, his heart pounding out a rhythm that threatened to break through his chest. The ceiling looked so vast like a concrete sky above him. The leather straps dug into his wrists as they tightened against him.

A small jab took his attention as the nurse injected him. The Professor walked over soon after and smiled down like some benevolent deity. "How was that?"

"Fine, fine. I don't know what you were worried about earlier."

The Professor just kept smiling all the while. "That was a neutral solution; a simple harmless accelerant of sorts. Just in case your body decided now would be a good time to develop Aura."

Jaune's eyes went a little wider before he whimpered out "Oh."

The Professor just patted the boy on the chest before turning out to the crowd of military personnel. "If I might have your attention?"

They all looked on intently as the Professor continued. "Many of you have asked what the actual process will be. The concoction I have devised will be injected at key locations across the subjects' body. Immediately after, the subject will be bombarded with a combination of different Dust energy types simultaneously. The combined stress of the procedure along with the Dust will cause the concoction to become active in the blood stream and begin the changes to the body and Aura. This should take no more than a few minutes." He turned back to the Arc boy as soon as he had finished. "Hold on in there, Jaune. We'll have you out Hunting soon enough."

The Professor walked over to a control panel. "Are we ready?"

"Dust containers at maximum. All mixtures ready and stable, sir."

"Very well. Close the cage."

The last sight Jaune saw was Pyrrha's nervous face as the black door closed across his body. The small pinpricks of the needles across his body started to press deeper into him as he closed his eyes tight.

A small light came on inside the tube and the symphony of pain began.

The concoction was first, rushing across his body like someone had scattered fire across him. He couldn't move but his mouth remained firmly clamped down.

 _Not… gonna… stop… now._

"Begin phase two!" The Professor's voice was muffled by the steel that surround Jaune as the bright bursts of energy came pulsing into the chamber.

Red, green, blue and yellow mixed into a swirling maelstrom of almost blinding white around him. The cacophony of pain added a new strand of tearing muscles and blood boiling through his veins.

His voice stayed where it was as the tormenting notes of agony flourished through him.

"Sir! We've got-" were the last muffled words before a strange mantra resounded in his head, blocking out all other sensations.

" _We stand as shield and sword against the tide. Eternity will pass before we falter. All else may yield but we never will. Thus I release your soul to guard you and yours…"_

The world rushed back into place, leaving Jaune only with confusion and pain.

"Situation stabilising! Procedure at sixty percent completion… Seventy!" The muffled voice came through the steel door once more.

It was only then Jaune's voice gave a mighty scream to the outside.

"Shut it down! We underestimated-"

"No!" Jaune screamed louder. "Keep going! More… than… a... tap!" was all he managed to get out before devolving back into loud screams of defiance.

"Eighty… Ninety... Ninety five…"

Jaune kept his eyes shut as his body tore itself apart to the countdown.

"One hundred percent complete! We have reached maximum estimated spread and acceleration of the concoction! Sir, we are on backup Dust as of now!"

The hum of the machine dimmed down as the Dust pulses retreated back down the tube. He felt his body tingle somewhat as the hinged jaw swung open to the bright lights outside.

His first thought as he sat up was _Did everything get smaller?_

His second was _Am I taller?_

His third was interrupted by gasps and frantic chattering amongst the gathered crowds of scientists and soldiers alike. A nurse ran over, quickly scanning over Jaune before undoing his restraints. He sat up, feeling the rush of pain from earlier fade quickly the more he moved.

Pyrrha came over and stared at his new form. She subtly reached out and touched his chest before losing her nerve as another nurse came over and offered Jaune his shirt back.

"Did you shrink this down for me, make me feel better?" Jaune said, his humour still shining through.

She just smiled gently back as she tried to hide her appreciation of his new body.

"Mr Arc!" The Professor shouted. "How are you feeling? Any damage? Pain? Anything different at all?" The concern was clear across every feature of the Professor's face, from the scrunched eyebrows to the slightly dry mouth.

"No problems, Professor. Just peachy, apart from the staring." He gestured to the other occupants of the room.

"Don't worry, we will get you a mirror soon. But it is a most remarkable transformation."

"Yeah, about that. I heard something in the chamber. It was - "

"A saying? A phrase?" At Jaune's nod, the Professor nodded in response. "I am told that is what happens when a Hunter or Huntress achieve Aura. Everyone hears something unique and, so I am told, it is a very intimate thing to share. I do know that it is used if you ever activate the Aura of someone else. But still, it is nothing to worry over. Now, if you'd-"

A single gunshot echoed through the room as the Professor was silenced. A burst of wind took the assailant towards the exit as Jaune grabbed the collapsing body in front of him.

The Professor simply looked into Jaune's piercing blue eyes and reached out to the boy's chest.

Three single taps, a whispered "like steel…" and Professor Dove stopped moving.

Jaune Arc took off straight after.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted from behind him.

"I need to find the exit fast. Please, take me there." The words were forced out through gritted teeth.

Pyrrha just nodded as they sprinted out, her fiery hair providing a trail for Jaune to follow.

* * *

( **rwbyfan5** is still awesome!

Nobody took up my offer of answers to questions. Ah well, next 1000 view milestone might be different. :)

Next update will be after Christmas. Until then, thanks for reading!)


	8. Chapter 8

"' _Why do you not simply give everyone Aura?' I asked a warrior priestess in Vacuo. 'After all, if everyone had the capacity to fight the Grimm, surely we could defeat them by sheer power alone?'_

 _She smiled at me much as a disapproving mother might smile at a foolish child. 'Would you trust everyone you meet with that kind of power?'_

 _I conceded the point but pressed her on the issue. 'Oh my dear Tatar. The idea has been floated around but in the modern day, everyone just points at what happened at Citrine in Mistral.'_

 _The Citrine Massacre had happened over fifty years before this conversation and yet it was still spoken about as if it had happened yesterday. While I have since read up on the numerous theories about it, (read "The Human Potential: What the Citrine Massacre teaches about Aura" if you can) I'd not heard anything in detail until then._

' _They did exactly what you suggested. They gave that power to everyone in that little village and it ripped itself to pieces. By the time the Grimm arrived, drawn by the pain and hatred that had blossomed, there was only one couple left. Rumour has it they were either locked in deep embrace or were trying to claw each other's flesh off.'_

 _I asked her what she thought happened. 'Far as I see it, Aura is an amplifier. All those little character flaws that people have just got blown up a little too large. To be fair, I'm sure all the the good things were enhanced as well. Add in enough people and you get Citrine.'_

 _I sighed. She smiled a little more kindly this time. 'Be glad, Tatar. You, at least, will never have to live a normal boring life. Now, follow me." Her grin turned sultry as she grabbed my hand._

 _I left her a lotus, as was my custom, and a small letter of recommendation for the local governor, as was my want."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges"_

* * *

The wind rushed through his hair as his newly powered legs propelled him through the crowded city streets. The rapid _thump-thump-thump_ of his bare feet against the concrete ground turned heads even before his physique did.

He couldn't stop. His veins pumped the solution too quickly around his veins for any time to stop and think. The fire that had nearly consumed him in the chamber now surged through him, fueling his every move.

His prey flickered to the left, catching his eye with sudden movement. A small turn and his mighty frame eased over towards him. He nodded to his new companion as she ducked left down a parallel alleyway.

 _I need answers. Why would anyone want the Professor dead?_

The main street of Vale wasn't as empty as he would have liked. The high shops provided ample space for the assassin to navigate through and around without any clear sight lines. The writhing mass of shoppers, day trippers and other assortments of humanity hid his foe better than his disguise had earlier. Only the barest shifts in the crowd kept him from losing the trail.

 _There!_ He thought. "Stop there!" He cried out, more for Pyrrha than anyone else.

The man simply turned and faced his pursuer. He smiled only a little before throwing the nearest civilian into the muscled figure in front of him as he took off away from the red headed warrior.

"Move!" He cried out once more, hoping his new stature would clear the crowd even if his voice couldn't.

The crowd started to part, too slowly for his enhanced reflexes to take. With a mighty leap, his Aura pooled around him and propelled him into the sky. The wind rushed past him, flowing easily around his new figure.

"Woah!" He shouted, seeing the entire city of Vale. "Look out!" He shouted again to the people below.

Much faster movement this time. As the crowd parted, he landed with a cracking sound. He shot off towards the cloaked figure once more, eyes flickering around the chaotic painting that Vale had become.

"Sorry!" He said, looking back at the crater his landing had created. People stood frozen still as the cracks ran across their paths. Not even the sidewalk was safe from the impact, it seemed.

He felt his Aura surround him as he took off towards his prey. Pyrrha was nowhere to be seen but some little feeling told Jaune that she wasn't far off. The great bounding leaps he was taking were a far cry from his prior training with each step clearing meters at a time.

He caught a quick sight of a body being flung past him as he saw the assassin throw a civillian out of his car and drive off.

"No!" Jaune cried as he tried to push him forwards. The car's' wheels revved…

And the vehicle remained frozen to the spot. The wheels kept spinning but the actual body of the care refused to move.

Jaune seized his chance. He leapt forwards, pooling his Aura beneath him and shot forwards towards his target as he tried to escape from the car.

"AHH!" Came the cry from the man. His body landed on the ripped off door in the grimy alleyway as Jaune landed on top of him.

"Who are you working for?!" He shouted again. _Man, these new vocal chords really don't have a volume switch, do they?_

"Jaune!" Pyrrha's voice called from around the corner. She stalked in, her shield and javelin pointed towards the black coated man.

"I will tell you nothing!" His accent betrayed little. A mix of Valian and Lower Mistrali but otherwise unremarkable.

Jaune tightened his hold in response. A crack echoed through the alleyway.

"I will not talk! I serve someone more powerful than-"

Another crack resounded.

"Alright! Just stop with the fingers!" The man cried, trying to reach for his crippled hand

"You've got three seconds to talk or I turn your bones to dust!" _Heh, just like X-ray and Vav._

"I killed that swine! I admit it freely!"

"Not what I meant." Jaune's cold voice said. A third crack made its way into the ears of the would-be Hunter and Huntress as they witnessed the man scream up to the heavens.

"Now, who were you working for?" Jaune simply gripped the man's thumb tightly.

"We are Nameless, fool! You may search for us wherever you like, but you will-"

A screaming bolt of Aura tore through the man's head, leaving only a burnt out shell in Jaune's arms. Pyrrha just turned to face the new foe with her shield.

"Naughty, naughty. Shouldn't be telling tales now."

Jaune whipped his head around to find a slim figure standing above him on the nearby building. His short white jacket only served to heighten the vibrant red in his eyes. His grin stretched from ear to ear as he pointed at the boy below.

"A pity I had to do that. And to think, one of my own men, willing to betray me!" His accent was a patchwork; not quite similar enough to any of them to pick out a clear heritage. "I may cry…" He sniffed in an overly exaggerated manner.

"Who the hell are you?" Jaune asked, his booming voice still not quieting down.

"Me?" He gestured with a flourish. "I'm Outis!" He laughed madly.

"You son of a – "

"Uh uh." He flourished again, throwing out another bolt of Aura. "No bad language now. Mother would wash your mouth out with worse than soap if she heard."

Jaune let out a roar, feeling his own Aura react. A chaotic blast of the bright light flew out wildly, missing the red eyed cackler by mere inches.

"Ohoh! So, Dove used that fool concoction on **you** now, did he? And here I thought he'd never use it again. Not after last time…"

"Stop speaking in cryptic sentences, you… you… you jerk!" _Smooth, Jaune. Smooth._ He could almost hear his own mind providing sarcastic clapping to this tense moment.

"Hasn't fully settled yet though. Clearly." Outis laughed. "Oh, I'll have to tell Mother this. We did warn the poor Professor but he didn't listen."

Pyrrha just threw her shield, flinging the metal straight at the man's head.

Outis just grabbed it straight out of the air, one handed. "Little girl with a discus. Here, take it back!" He flung it, swinging it back towards the pair.

It slowed just enough for Pyrrha to leap up and catch it. For a brief second, she looked like she was going to throw it back but she just landed in a crouch instead.

"Good little performer. Do your little tricks." He sneered at Pyrrha before turning to Jaune. "You, my poor doomed child, are worth a watch. Don't go dying on me now!"

He turned to leave, his own aura bright red and swirling around him. A quick flash of crimson blinded the alleyway and the man was gone.

"Wait!" Jaune cried.

The silence of the alleyway was all that responded to the roar of anguish and grief that erupted from Jaune's throat.

* * *

The holding room was not unpleasant as far as these things can be measured. There was a worn arm chair, currently occupied by Pyrrha, and a small bed that had Jaune sitting bolt upright against the wall on it.

It was also completely silent. No dripping water, no small scurrying noises nor any little flecks of paint to fall from the ceiling. Just the natural rhythms of breathing from two of the fittest people in Remnant.

Jaune's mind raced.

 _You could have done something._

 _What? What could I have done?_

 _You can feel the new body right? The muscles, the nerves and especially the Aura! I had no idea this would feel so good!_

 _It meant nothing. Professor Dove is still dead._

 _Yeah, and we can do something about it! Let's go kick butt!_ His mind mentally raised a fist into the air.

 _I'm not a hero. I'm just…_

 _Someone who can do something, you fool._

Jaune's mind went silent as Pyrrha stood up and stalked over to him.

"Pyrrha…" Jaune sighed.

"You feel different." Pyrrha stated bluntly.

"Huh?"

"You feel different from how you did before. I didn't say anything with the chase and everything but…" The question just dangled in between the two.

"I don't get it. Nothing's changed. I mean, besides the whole body thing. I'm still me." Jaune tried to muster a smile.

Pyrrha just looked puzzled, tilting her head to one side and squinting her eyes before they suddenly widened. "I keep forgetting you didn't have Aura before all this. You don't know what it's like to feel someone like that."

"Enlighten me." Jaune sighed again, desperate to take his mind off his train of thought.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes in response. "It's like hugging someone completely different but when you look at their face, they are wearing your friend's face. That sound about right?"

"What the hell?! Where'd that come from?" Jaune shouted back.

"You wanted to be enlightened. That's the most obvious way to get the damn point across to you!" Pyrrha just took a step towards Jaune and lifted her hands threateningly.

"What's your problem?" Jaune stepped closer.

"What's yours?!"

"I lost the one man I knew believed in me!" He roared back, his new vocal chords granting it a powerful reverberation. "He pushed me, he made me like this! He gave me this chance and now he's gone! So pardon me, oh Lion Heart," Pyrrha flinched slightly. "For not being all sunshine and smiles right now!" A tear fell down Jaune's cheek as he sat back down on the bed.

Pyrrha just stared at him before sighing. "He did the same for me."

Jaune just looked at her. "But I thought… Does that mean you're like me?"

"What? No! No, not like that." Pyrrha replied. "The Professor was one of the people in Prism who vouched for me when they brought me in."

She sat down next to Jaune, leaving a small gap between them. "I wasn't always like this. You ever hear the stories about children soldiers in the Outlier Regions?" At his nod, she continued. "I was one of them. Given a small pop gun of a weapon and told to fight or die. Eventually, I got good enough that people started to notice me. Got summoned to an academy and the rest…" She breathed out, letting the sound fill the space between them. "Led me here. So please, don't think you're the only one mourning. Everybody at Prism lost someone close today."

Jaune just closed his eyes and took the wisest course of action; silence.

Which was quickly broken as two MP's marched in, arms at their sides. "Mr Arc, we've been told to get you to go to the room across the hall."

"You're not gonna grab me?" Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"Honestly sir, we're not sure it would do any good."

Jaune shrugged and slowly dragged his feet across the wooden floor.

* * *

The interrogation, it turned out, was not pleasant.

"You chased down a thief in broad daylight."

"Yes sir."

"Said thief then was burnt by an Aura bolt after you had him captured."

"Yes, sir."

"And then you managed to not only lose the last vial of the Concoction that existed because of that, you also managed to not apprehend the man responsible?!"

A wince preceded the response. "Sir, I was not aware of that information."

A sigh came from the older man across the table as he glared coldly. "If it were up to me, I'd be putting you in a box to Atlas to see what they could get out of you. But, seeing as you just had to go out and play Hunter, the matter is out of my hands." He nodded once to the room and closed the heavy iron door.

Jaune simply sat, feeling far too large for the room.

 _I miss the bed..._

"He's put a lot of effort into this." A figure stepped out of the shadows. His scarf wrapped gently around his neck stood out in contrast to his charcoal suit.

"Holy -!" Jaune shouted.

"He seems angry now but he'll be fine once the dust settles." The man walked across to the empty chair and sat down. "As for you, Mr. Arc, how are you feeling?" The tone had no real inflection to it, no detail or emotion to help Jaune gauge the older man.

"I- don't know." He answered honestly. His shoulders slumped down, tension seeping out of them. The earlier talk with Pyrrha had drained him more than he had anticipated.

"That is understandable. With all that has happened, I would be surprised if you didn't feel as you did now." A small, dripping pause echoed through the room. "Why did you chase that man?"

"Huh?"

"You had no idea how powerful he was or how fit your body was for a pursuit, and yet the moment Professor Dove touched your chest, you shot out of here after him along with Miss Nikos. I'm asking why you did that."

Jaune held his thoughts for a moment. His eyes dipped low even as they shifted back and forth.

" _My dear boy, it is not simple strength that beats Grimm! Else, they would have overrun us ages ago. No, it is the will to act that defeats them. The will to say "No more, beast!" and stand your ground when fear tempts you away. To tell a beast of legend that has resided where it has for an age, "No, you move." That is what will defeat them."_

" _My… benefactors think that I am choosing you for your Aura or your name and heritage. No, Jaune. I chose you because of that same will. You were not raised a Hunter; no great trainer or inherent talent spurred you on. But still you never stopped wanting to help."_

" _You want to help, to act my boy, even though you lack the power to do so. A rare enough gift in a world such as this." He smiled that same grandfatherly grin and walked out of the room._

"I had to act." He said. "I had the power to do something and…" Jaune shrugged lightly.

The man smiled slightly.

"I can see why Dove chose you. Mr Arc, have you ever heard of an academy called… Beacon?"

The boy looked the man right in the eyes; an intense stare focused on an amused face.

"Yeah. I've heard of it. Thought about applying before all this. Why?"

"Come with me, Mr Arc. I can see we have much to discuss." The man tapped his cane on the door as it swung open.

Pyrrha stood there, arms held behind her back. "Sir before you-"

"Miss Nikos." The man said. "I am about to offer Mr Arc the same thing I did you. Please remain silent until I have done so." He gave a quick glance to her before turning back to Jaune.

"Mr Arc. I'd like to offer you a position within Prism. With your newfound abilities and Aura, you could make good use of our resources. Who knows, there might even be a chance that Beacon may want you." A glint passed through his eyes.

Jaune sighed before a hammer of a sentence hit his ears. "It's what Professor Dove would have wanted."

No sooner had the last word left the mysterious man's lips did Jaune grab the lapels on the man's suit. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare! He's gone! He wanted me to be a Hunter, to help people! Don;t use him to recruit me into your damn club!"

Pyrrha just shouted "Jau-" before being waved down by the man.

"What makes you think that working for us would prevent that?"

"Prism works for medical purposes. Using Dust in new ways, not Hunting!"

"Then how do you explain what happened to you?"

Jaune paused, his anger and anguish momentarily stopped. "I thought that was a military operation."

The man smiled lightly. "No. All Prism, at least initially. I would appreciate it if you put me down, Mr Arc."

Jaune complied, his confusion clearly evident in his face. "But then why-"

"The military presence? They always like to feel included and, to be honest, they would have been the main beneficiaries of the Concoction anyway. I saw no harm in letting them think they were in control." The man shrugged with calm confidence.

"Oh." Jaune said. "Wait, so who are you?"

The man smiled a little broadly. "Finally, you ask." He twirled his cane around his hand before slamming it into the ground with a tone of authority.

"My name is Ozpin."

Jaune froze as the name passed through his ears.

 _Oh. Oh, I just threatened not only one of the most powerful men in the entire KINGDOM but also the man who'd have decided my future as a Hunter._

 _Well. Well played, me._ The sarcastic clapping was back in full force.

Ozpin maintained his smile. "I see you do know who I am. Let me say this before I withdraw the offer: Professor Dove was a very good friend of mine. He was a rare man of not only vision but also possessed intellect and skill that were rare enough these days. I wish to hunt down those who thought his life expendable."

Jaune hesitated for barely a moment, seeing the man's anger in his eyes, before holding out his hand and saying,

"I'm in."

* * *

( **rwbyfan5.** Synonymous with AWESOME.

Special Thanks to **ActualTurtle3, Redskye22, davidvillafranca99 and Wampeman** for favoriting this story! You guys are just the best!

Once I reach **2,000 views on this story,** I'll do what I did at the last milestone and offer to **answer any questions about the story**. This time, **if you send it by PM,** I will guarantee an answer. If you've had a question that you are dying to know the answer to, why not send it? I always appreciate people taking an interest.

Hopefully you are all still enjoying this!)


	9. Chapter 9

" _Armour is an odd subject to bring up at a dinner table, even a table populated with generals, Hunters and Huntresses from all over Atlas. The question of why some Hunters and Huntresses didn't seem to favour it had been pacing through my mind ever since the Mistral tournament._

 _One medalled individual laughed politely at my question. "I've heard it is more a matter of speed and maneuverability than anything. Although I can't imagine anyone would look half as good in a tin can as they do in their Hunting outfits." She continued her laughter which seemed to spread uneasily through the other guests nearby._

" _Still though," Some military official replied. "Armor has it's uses. A few key places on the body having armor might mean the difference between success and being Grimm food. The main problem is that against the stronger or faster Grimm, the protection it affords is simply insufficient to counterbalance the loss of speed. An Oto class Ursa can rip trees up from the ground at a faster pace than an army of woodsmen. No Hunter or Huntress trusts their armor enough to test it out against something like that."_

" _Ah but I have found it so very useful when fighting other Huntresses and Hunters." A third voice spoke. "There aren't many Grimm that have natural armour and so our weapons are more focused around extreme amounts of damage rather than any form of armour piercing. There are a few types of armours that would work very well against the more common types of weapon."_

 _A general murmur of agreement rippled through the room. As I looked around, I saw eyes flicker towards me as they glanced around the gathered guests. They stared a little too intensely for my liking._

 _I decided to not press the issue further. I slipped out and enjoyed the delightful artwork our host had collected for the rest of the evening._

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

"What you saw earlier was just one of our advance bases around the continent." Ozpin explained as Jaune followed along, his strides almost allowing the boy to surpass the older man's more confident walk. "The base you see now is the primary Prism base for agents such as yourself to work from." Ozpin suddenly turned around on his heel and said to Jaune "What do you think?"

The wide open courtyard that surrounded them had its skyline dominated by five differently coloured buildings. The visual enhancement of the colours did little to hide the harsh brickwork that encompassed the bright glass windows. Off in the distance, if one knew where to look, it was possible to see the high tower of Beacon Academy. It was clearly meant to be mundane; to blend into the surroundings as just another campus in the city.

 _Something's off here…_

"It's too calm." Jaune said, turning his head around. "A place this size should have more movement, more energy to it." He nodded to the Headmaster.

"Fascinating." The Headmaster replied. "Dove's notes mentioned a potential increase in mental faculties…" He nodded. "Allow me to point out the main buildings."

He continued to walk around the courtyard, only pausing in front of each building to give a short, rehearsed speech about the facilities within. Jaune, in spite of his excitement at being able to talk to the Headmaster of Beacon, found it hard to maintain his focus on the droning tone.

"The Emissary Building is for briefings and other operational information…"

"Your first stop after finding your accommodation should be to the Quartermaster. We have numerous…"

"The Armory is not simply for equipment. You should go there to practice with any weapon you have. Other training should be conducted…"

"Here we are!" Ozpin said, snapping Jaune out of his daze. "The "Bunkhouse," as the other Emissaries call it. Go in and find your room, Mr Arc. Your effects should be waiting for you within." Ozpin went to turn away from the building.

"Headmaster?" Jaune asked. His heart pounded in his chest in a constant thumping rhythm.

"Yes, Mr Arc? I do hope you were listening earlier. I don't like repeating myself, although it seems I do that more these days…" Ozpin whispered more to himself.

"When I was chasing after the murderer, I met a man called Outis-"

"You mentioned this in your report with Miss Nikos. Is there something you neglected to mention?" The man's face betrayed no emotion or knowledge for Jaune to pick up on.

"Well, kind of. I told you about the Aura blasts he had. What I didn't mention was that I managed to do it back…"

The silence passed between the two. A small breeze managed to fill in the space left by the lack of noise before Ozpin spoke again.

"Hm. Curious." Ozpin began to walk away.

"W-wait, sir!" Jaune shouted.

"Yes, Mr Arc? Do you have something new to add?"

"What does it mean? I mean, I've never heard of anyone being able to do that sort of Aura stuff outside of a Semblance. Is there any chance-"

"I highly doubt it." Ozpin interrupted. "After all, you mentioned that this "Outis" used it on you first. I will investigate this further. For now, get settled. If everything goes well, this will be your home for the foreseeable future." He spun on his heel again and proceeded to walk with astounding speed away from Jaune.

The boy just stared at the rapidly retreating form of the Headmaster before shaking his head and walking into the Bunkhouse.

What he expected was something very similar to the testing facility. All military style with bunkbeds, limited room and no real personal room to himself.

What he got was more akin to a hotel. There were still clear military influences; the efficient layout and the very polished look to the place showed that off. However, with the vibrant colours dazzling him, Jaune found it a little hard to notice the personalized plaques on each door or the gilt bannisters with gear detailing all the way up. Scanning over the sets of varnished wooden doors, he quickly managed to find his own name:

 _Jaune Arc, Emissary/Hunter in Training._

His heart rose up to his throat as he walked over to the door. His hands slid over the plaque as he held back a small tear.

 _It's official. I'm really going to be a Hunter._

He swung open the door as his eyes immediately caught sight of his familiar sword and shield resting against the surprisingly luxurious double bed. He picked up Crocea Mors, the once heavy weight now as light as paper in his newly enhanced hands. He gave the sword a test swing.

 _Swish. Swish._

 _Yep. Same sword as always. Guess Pyrrha was right…_

 _Why did she react so… oddly to me anyhow? Like, she wasn't scared or anything. I'd've not made it out of the room otherwise._

 _So what's so different about me?_

He put down Crocea Mors and walked over to the floor length mirror in the spacious room.

Right away, he could tell Pyrrha had a point.

His face was almost untouched as he stared deeply into his eyes. The once light blue had brightened intensely to an almost glowing level.

 _If I turn the lights off, would they glow?_

They did not, but the clear skin that the treatment had granted him nearly did. The breakout of acne that had loomed in threat over Jaune's head seemed like a distant memory as he touched his face in amazement.

His body, by contrast…

 _Damn._

There was an obvious strength that hadn't been there before across his entire frame. His muscles rippled with every move, clearly shifting under his taut skin as he turned in the mirror. It was the body of a seasoned Hunter; clear power in as efficient a package as possible.

But it wasn't him. The body moved too easily, too smoothly, for it to be him. He could feel the twitching nerves and the coiled springs of muscle that were eager to act.

He sighed and just lay down on the bed, feeling his new form plunge into the large springy mattress.

 _No wonder she thought I was different…_

His mind mulled that thought over for far too long.

 _Knock._

"Mr Arc! We need you for some tests!" came the unfamiliar voice on the other side of the door.

He sighed again as he walked out the door.

* * *

 _Physical Testing Report #1806 - Confidential_

 _Subject: Jaune Arc - Emissary/Hunter in Training_

 _Report is as follows:_

 _Subject was treated with Professor Dove's "Expansion Concoction" three days previous. According to accessible notes, formula should now have fully integrated with Subject's physiology and Aura make up._

 _Subject presents with exceptional strength for his size and weight, even when accounting for Aura reinforcement…_

* * *

"You want me to what?"

"Mr Arc, just hit the sensor as hard as you can." The lab tech sighed.

Jaune just shrugged as he settled into a comfortable stance and pulled his arm back. The muscles tensed across his body.

He hit the sensor, his fist slamming into the large black pad...

The dent in the opposite wall spread up like spiderwebs as Jaune stood stock still, aghast at the damage.

 _Oh, that's not good._

The lab tech just noted something down on his clipboard with eyes wide.

"Is… Is that bad?" Jaune asked, looking at his fist as if it would explode any minute.

"We'll need a new sensor, that's for sure." The lab tech laughed a little. "But no. We've had larger Hunters and Huntresses tear that thing to pieces before now." He patted the remains of the shattered machine.

Jaune just continued to stare at his hand as he was led out of the testing room.

* * *

 _Subject also possesses a high level of speed and endurance well beyond that of any Hunter or Huntress the testing team were able to access…_

* * *

"How long's he been going?"

"Two hours, easy."

"Really? You been increasing all that time?"

The other lab tech just gave a withering glance to the newest entrant to the room. "What do you think I am, some low ranking scrubber? I've been pushing up the speed every twenty minutes. He's about to come up to max sprinting speed."

The two just sat there and watched the sprinting form of Jaune Arc keep going… and going… and going…

"How long now?"

"Coming up to one hour…"

Jaune's body was flung back into the wall, sending a dull slap around the room as he collided with the concrete.

"Almost there. That's incredible." The lab techs nodded in unison.

* * *

 _Subject's Aura, as expected from the notes on Dove's concoction, approaches a level comparable to Hunters and Huntresses that have been in the field active for years. But its' interactions with other Aura is… fascinating to say the least._

* * *

"Pyrrha?" Jaune called out, standing up from his meditative seat.

"Jaune." She stood there uneasily, as the room was about to swallow her up at any point.

"Hey! It's good to see you!"

"Yeah, good to see you…" The tone whispered discomfort.

Jaune just stood there with his new senses feeding him information.

 _Stance less confident than before, legs tense as if ready to run at any moment, arms almost reaching for weaponry that is not there…_

 _I've got to fix this._

He reached out with a hand, gently touching Pyrrha's arm.

And then things went off the rails.

A blast of Aura flung both parties back apart as they cracked against their walls.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune recovered as he rushed over to her prone form. "Speak to me!"

She just stood up. No bruises marked her nor could Jaune see any real wounds on her frame at all.

"I'm fine! How did you do that?" A new rush of energy seemed to flourish through her. She looked him over before glancing questioningly at the lab techs.

They shrugged.

Jaune just began to apologise profusely. "I don't know! I just wanted to help and-"

Pyrrha just spun on her heel and left the room muttering to herself.

Jaune started to reach out again before the lab technicians lunged for him and struggled to tackle him down to the ground.

* * *

 _Further Notes - Add. by Researcher Luscens and Kessho._

 _After having spent significant time with the Subject, we have established that there seems to be a correlation between his Aura and a need to protect others. His Aura, from what we could observe, seemed to expand and latch on to other Aura sources. We are uncertain as to whether or not this is a side effect of the Concoction or a potential Semblance that has yet to fully manifest._

 _We believe this requires further study._

* * *

"Pyrrha!" Jaune ran over to her with a small workout towel around his neck. His shirt was drenched with his sweat as his bare feet slapped against the floor.

Pyrrha quickly blushed and skittered off.

"Hey, wait!" Before he could take off and pursue the only person in this place he actually knew, a large hand slammed down on his shoulder.

 _If I hadn't had the Concoction, I'm sure I'd be a smear on the ground right now._

Jaune turned around and faced a mammoth of a man in dungarees. His heavy beard did little to hide his broad smile as he grabbed Jaune a little firmer.

"Ah, so you're the boy that's got the base all a twitter! And you haven't come to see me yet. I should be insulted!"

Jaune flicked through his mental list of potential people this giant could be.

 _Not another researcher, not a soldier, not a trainer…_

"You're the Quartermaster?" Jaune blinked a little.

"You're not half as dumb as you look!" His booming laugh echoed through the halls. "Come on! You've got time now. I've got a whole wonderland of toys for you to try for me!"

Jaune found himself more dragged than led towards the brightly tinted building.

"Can I least ask your name?" Jaune's muffled voice went.

"Call me the Blacksmith. Real name's above your access." His smile never wavered even as his eyes narrowed.

"Alright…" Jaune gave a small glance as he was forced into a large testing range. The walls were pockmarked with holes of varying sizes and burn marks littered the remaining wall space.

"You're not gonna try and test my reflexes like the guys in the lab, are you? They already tried to play hot potato with me this morning." Jaune moaned.

"Nah, kid! Today, we get to see what sort of weapon you wanna use! Now, Old Oz up in his tower asked me to come up with some designs for you to try out. Normally, we'd start with what you brought with ya but that dang thing was antique when I was young!" The Blacksmith just led the boy over to a long metal table. Along the vast length lay weapons of shapes and sizes.

"Have a play! Just make sure I'm behind ya when you do." The larger man ducked behind the table as he stood eagerly waiting…

* * *

 _Quartermaster Report - Special Circumstances - Confidential._

 _To the ineffable forces that decided to send Jaune Arc into my workshop:_

 _Keep him with the sword and shield._

 _I admit I wanted to try and replace that ancient combination weapon but damn if he isn't a menace with any other weapon._

 _Believe me, no matter how much you think he needs a ranged option in combat, I cannot find a weapon that doesn't make me duck for cover._

 _To give some positive news in this little letter, I am thoroughly enthused by the possibilities the Arc boy's strength present for a set of armor for him. Many of the materials we judged to be too heavy are now potentially usable with his Aura-reinforced frame._

 _I enclose several different requests for the following materials:_

* * *

This time, as soon as Jaune caught a glance of the ruby red hair, he just ran over to it instead of waiting for the inevitable escape.

"Alright!" Jaune shouted. "I know I seem different. I **am** different. But I don't get how we went from talking one day to you fleeing at the sight of me now! So I'm gonna stand here and you're gonna tell me what's wrong!" His mighty chest heaved at his own emotional exhaustion as he vented.

Pyrrha just stood there blankly.

Then, she laughed. Hard.

A melodious mixture of notes, rising in volume as she realised exactly what had been going on. "I'm sorry!" She said, still laughing. "Oh, I never meant to avoid you. It's just…" She looked around before pulling Jaune over to a couple of seats. "I've been trying to figure out what your Semblance might be since we got here. Considering what happened during the testing at the other base, I thought it might something to do with your speed. But instead." She paused. "I want you to touch me."

Jaune's eyes went wide as his cheeks flourished red. "Uh, I mean…"

Pyrrha's face was a mirror of Jaune's as she realised what she had left hanging in the air. "Just on the arm!" She squeaked.

"Oh! Right." He lightly touched her arm, feeling an odd sensation trickle down his spine.

"Okay. Now, I want you to focus on your meditation mantra and we'll see what happens."

Jaune closed his eyes and began to chant in his head.

 _We stand as shield and sword against the tide. Eternity will pass before we falter. All else may yield but we never will. Thus I release your soul to guard you and yours…_

A light glow made him open his eyes as it passed from his arm across Pyrrha's skin.

"Ohhh… This is new." She said, surprise obvious on her face.

"What happened?!" He said.

"Don't worry. I just need to check with someone. Besides, we've got a mission!"

Jaune's focus was taken away from the steadily pulsing glow on Pyrrha's arm and onto her viridian eyes. "You're kidding! What is it? Hunting a Grimm horde? Secret long distance mission into the heart of enemy territory? A all or nothing fight against rogue Hunters?!"

"None of that."

"Awww…." His shoulders slumped down.

"Just a quick capture mission. We've received intelligence about a potential agent for the Nameless cult you mentioned. We're being sent in to capture them and potentially interrogate them if we need to. Anything you need to know?"

"Just one thing: Why is your hand still in mine?"

Her blush put roses to shame in its' intensity.

* * *

( **r** **wbyfan5** still beta's this. Even if I haven't sent him stuff for a while.

Special thanks to **DARKPHANTOM13** and **arogus98** for following the story!

2,000 view reached! So, if you have a question about the story, please feel free to leave a review with it in and I will repsond as quickly as I can.)


	10. Interlude - Lion Heart

_As her hand slid away from him longingly, a lone whispering voice slithered into the back of her head._

" _Oooooh!" It cooed mockingly. "Another fanboy to dribble over you!"_

 _It's not like that. The boy in front of her didn't even know her name!_

" _And?" It continued. "He would not care for your name anyway, save as a trophy to show others."_

 _She sighed before quickly adjusting her mask. It was familiar, this smile. When had she last used it?_

 _Ah, yes. The Tournament. Some rich heiress had requested a meeting with "The Lion Heart of Mistral" before she left for some other far away land._

 _The girl had been terribly dull, even without her constant suggestions of "playing with the winners" and "a closer business relationship."_

 _The smiling mask had slipped on just as easily as it did now. It has never truly left her._

 _A decade of masquerades. Ever since…_

"Open your mouth, girl." The woman sneered. "Show us your teeth."

Pyrrha smiled, showing off a wide toothy grin to the suited woman.

"Hm. Better than I expected." The strange woman turned her head to Mommy. "We'll take her. She gets through the early years and we'll send you your final payment. If she doesn't, I'm sure the academy can still find some use for her. Are we agreed?"

 _Mommy?_

Mommy nodded, not daring to look at her child.

"Good. I will wait outside for five minutes. If your little girl isn't there when I go, she stays here." The strange lady's heels clacked against the floor before the door slam punctuated her exit.

Mommy looked at Pyrrha. "Now, you be a good girl now! You're going to be going away for a little bit."

 _There were other platitudes she remembered. "They'll feed you right there!" "You'll be able to visit soon!" "Just keep going, sweetie!"_

 _All she cared about now was the look in her Mommy's eyes. That look of desperation and need that had consumed her._

 _She dreams about that look on her mask; it's' cold features molded onto her face._

 _Her fingers clawing her cheeks in a vain effort to-_

 _No. Her resolve hardened like steel._

 _They taught her better than that, after all._

"You are now ours." The strange lady said. "You will obey orders. If you do not, you will be punished. Understood?"

"Where's Mommy?"

The mud had not tasted good even to her hungry taste buds.

"Understood?" The voice repeated.

"Y-yes." It was like when Mommy was angry. Just smile and say yes until she goes away.

"Good. You there," She pointed at the closest guard. "Feed her. Clothe her. Make sure she is ready for training tomorrow."

 _The next few years were much the same. Do as you were told and you were rewarded. Disobey or fail and you ate dirt. In more than one case, literally._

 _She'd grown strong there. No doubt about that. With her Aura ripping itself out of her at age eleven, she'd quickly advanced into the good graces of the ruler of whatever "academy" she worked for._

" _My little darling…" She used to hear, the long sound at the end often echoing through the steel confines of her cage._

 _It hadn't stopped them though._

"What do you want?" Madam in her own strange way asked. Pyrrha stood off to one side, her obvious strength having to be hidden by a frilly mess of a dress.

"I want your best. I have something I need to test out." The other woman had said.

"You want my little darling? Whatever could you want her for? She is not yet ready for any of your work."

"I want to give you a present, Madam. I've been told that the girl has yet to unlock her true gift…"

Pyrrha just clenched her hands while putting on her smiling mask.

"Your information is correct." Madam sneered as she turned to the young girl. "Alas, my darling, I need you stronger."

 _She'd been taken away the next day, led by the hand as if she were some fragile glass figurine._

 _There was no memory of what happened next. She remembered the mantra, as all proper Huntresses did, when she came to later in the woods._

 _She also remembered the screams._

"What do you mean, she's loose?!" One voice screamed. "I thought you said we had it controlled! The steel chains-"

"She just ripped through a wall with those chains and she's getting stronger! Last reports show her on Level 5 and working her way down. She-"

A ripple of blood red Aura flickered through the room.

"There's no way. The treatment was designed to unlock her Semblance, not screw with her Aura!"

"You think that matters now? Come on, we've-"

The steel chain wrapped around the woman's neck with sickening precision. A clink of wire slide easily around the other woman's ankle.

"What is my name?" The voice hummed with a low power even as it remained completely devoid of emotion.

"Wha-What?" The leader choked out as the chain tightened.

"My. Name. I want to know my name." The links slid more tighter and tighter against her neck.

"I-I… You don't have one! You were just given to us by the Madam! You kno-"

The crack of her neck was followed swiftly followed by the clang of the metal against the floor.

"What was her name?" The girl asked.

"P-P-Pyrrha! Pyrrha Nikos! She was in charge of this whole thing!" The other woman from the base began frantically tugging at the metal wire at her ankle.

"Then that name now belongs to me."

The screams echoed through the hollowed base. They were soon silent.

 _Details came to Pyrrha in dreams sometimes. The vibrant blue of their eyes. The way one of them had lunged to protect the other. The halls of metal so easily controlled and twisted to her will as they crushed those who opposed her._

 _She'd wandered for a while. Her skills with metal earned her a reputation among… less savoury characters in the world._

 _It wasn't long until she was noticed._

"Miss Nikos?"

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met. Are you the tournament organiser?" Her simple weaponry lie to one side as her armor shined protectively on her teenage frame.

"No! No, I am merely a friend of theirs. I simply wished to congratulate you on such a stunning win. It is not often that a complete newcomer wins this tournament." The old man said.

"Well thank you sir. Glad to be noticed." With that final statement, she had made to grab her weapons and leave to retrieve her prize money.

"Tell me, does the organiser know how you acquired your entrance money?"

The statement hung in the air like a noose.

"Who are you?" The mask dropped, revealing the dangerous warrior beneath it. Her hand flinched for her weapons even as the man showed no signs of moving.

"A man of no consequence, I assure you. And perhaps you should leave your weapons be." Her eyes widened in anger more than shock. "Ah. Please understand, your skill at deception is remarkable. There are few who would hide such an ability let alone think to use it in such a way. But do not think that you are the only one with such a trick."

She flung her weapons towards her and settled in her practiced battle stance. "I could end you right now."

"Of that, I have no illusions. But, before my head is sliced cleanly from my body, I would like to ask something."

Pyrrha just gestured lightly. Her face was like an executioner granting a last request.

"The reason we were able to find you was that you got rid of a problem that had taken us several weeks to even discover we had. My question is why did you pick **them**?" The old man stared at the red haired warrior patiently expecting an answer.

Pyrrha gave a wary look as her thought whirled in her head.

 _Because my employer paid me to. Because they smuggled in drugs cut with all manner of trash. Because they were going to find out about me…_

In the end, even with her shield up, Pyrrha had to admit the truth.

"They were going to hurt people who didn't deserve it. Nothing complicated."

The older man continued to stare before he gave a small smile. "I thought as much. Miss Nikos, I would like to make you an offer..."

 _She'd signed up to work with the Professor that day. She considered that it wasn't so much the money that had swayed her but instead the promise to do something good with her skills._

 _She'd been thirteen then. For nearly three long years she'd served the Foundation in it's goals, keeping her skills as sharp as her spear._

 _The boy across from her hadn't had to endure any of what she had. No scars littered his arms. No wounds marked his toned body. Yet his eyes showed a longing for something more; a battle or a cause to fight for. His great frame, she noticed, moved with that same ease that she had even as his face betrayed his awkward feelings towards it._

 _Pyrrha smiled to herself._

 _Still cute. Still naive though. **Definitely** an improvement on the old model. _

_Maybe it could work._

 _Just maybe._

* * *

( **rwbyfan5.** The name means Beta Quality.

Many Thanks to **YuNaru19** for favouriting the story! Hope you all are still enjoying this.)


	11. Chapter 10

" _I once met a rather interesting individual who had made it their life's work to study the Grimm menace that plagues our world. We were wandering along a similar path and I happened to notice his sketchbook full of the beasts._

" _Yes, a little hobby of mine." He said as he tucked it further into his pocketed vest._

" _Why sketch them? I'm reasonably certain that there are several accurate accounts of what these fiends looks like all over Remnant." I asked._

 _The man simply sighed as he replied. "Might I ask why you care, stranger?"_

 _I explained my journals to him as he shrugged. "I suppose it's for the same reason you do it then. I want to make sure that some things are never forgotten."_

 _Before I could press him on this, he forestalled my inevitable questions with a hand. "Have you ever wondered how there can be so many Grimm and yet they seem to have no sign of breeding points like any other animal we can think of?"_

 _He continued on in a clear lecturing tone. "I once found a Nevermore nest on my travels. Judging by the bones that littered the floor, no living thing had been there in several years. There was little to no evidence of any young having actually been born there. And yet the very moment I left, I found myself beset by the flying menaces until I managed to contact a nearby Hunting group to help me." He shook his head in disbelief._

 _I asked the man what he thought about the Grimm and how, after so many years, there had been no real progress in pushing them back. "A lack of Hunters and Huntresses would be an obvious one." He said sadly. "Even now, the amount of people who are even able to develop battle usable Aura don't make it into the main Academies. I've encountered several such individuals on my own expeditions through the Outlier Regions and they are rarely noticed by the more metropolitan based academies._

" _Then, of course, there is no real information as to where the Grimm come from. Nests and hunting grounds are rarely found and no-one has ever seen a Baby Grimm since long before any of the Kingdoms. Oh, there are bigger versions of adult Grimm to be sure but no children."_

 _I pondered this for a while before replying something about the idea of a greater Grimm intelligence._

" _Nope." The other man responded. "Grimm fight with no strategy or any grand scheme. With their numbers, they easily have the means to utterly stomp us into dust. My good traveller," He smiled not unkindly at me. "The Grimm are beasts. Mindless, unfeeling, unnatural things. They do not scheme or plot as we do."_

 _He wandered on his way a day or two later, leaving me with no small amount of terrified dread coursing through my mind."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges"_

* * *

"Listen…" Pyrrha said. "I know it's your first mission and all…"

"I know, I know. I should have handled it differently." Jaune nodded.

"No! No, I was actually going to say that you might have wanted to act sooner." Pyrrha encouraged.

"You're kidding right?" Jaune grinned.

"Not really." Pyrrha's luminous smile stayed on her face, resilient in the face of his skepticism.

"Is now the best time for this?" Jaune laughed.

A minion just flew past them, the fragments in his metal armor flinging him into the wall at break neck speed.

"I think it's okay. You having trouble with these guys?"

"A litt- Ah!" A clang resounded off of Jaune's shield as he flinched into a near flawless strike across the attacking figure in front of him. "A little!" He carried on. "I mean, my body's moving on its' own more than I'm actually fighting…"

"That happens." Pyrrha said, her tone as casual as her fighting style. A flick of her wrist sent a small group of the black clothed attackers back as she swung at their ranks with her javelin. "After I'd fought with Milo here for a while, I found my moves becoming mostly second nature." Another smooth flowing movement preceded one poor hapless goon being sent head first into Jaune's upright shield.

"Really?" Jaune struck the thrown goon with his hilt for good measure. "Huh. Explains why Mom and Dad never really did much practice…"

"Have you got in contact with your parents?"

Jaune held a guilty look on his face as he lunged past the seemingly glacial strikes of his horde of opponents. "I really don't want to. Mom'd kill me and Dad'd smash the pieces into tinier pieces."

Pyrrha's eyes pierced the wrecked warehouse where the two of them currently fought, searching for a leader or something to desperately change the subject of conversation.

 _There._ Her cool mind, untouched by the carnage around her, thought. "Jaune. You take the leader at the back. I can handle these."

"You sure?" Jaune asked, still playing offense against a line of minions.

In response, Pyrrha just raised an eyebrow as another wave of goons were sent flying into the walls with her shield.

"Okay, okay. Forgot who I was talking to." He replied.

His new body flowed through the gaps in the defensive formation and crashed relentlessly against the larger groups. As the poor minions were sent flying, Jaune's eyes narrowed in on the leader.

A tall imposing figure, her long blue hair was perhaps the only identifiable feature about her. The black clothes that she wore hid any marks or skin colour as her mask, a blank piece of something metallic, shone in the dim light of the warehouse. She stood firm, her arms moving as if conducting the entire combat from her position.

Jaune rolled straight into her. His barreling force enhanced by the ocean of Aura he pumped into his legs before he jumped, he expected to see his opponent in the wall as he stood upright.

 _No such luck._ Jaune thought as he saw the firm stance of his opponent hold.

"I'll handle him." Her voice was hard as her arms flung her subordinates away. No real emotion slipped into it save for a hint of anger.

 _A professional then._ Jaune thought. _Pretty sure anybody else with less experience would be a little louder_.

He screamed as he swung a wide arcing strike at her chest.

Her metal gauntlets grabbed the ancient blade of Crocea Mors, halting the enhanced boy's swing dead in its' tracks. "Nice try."

With a mighty effort, she threw him away from her as the sound of exertion barely escaped her lips. She sprinted towards his landing and was on him before Jaune had a chance to properly defend.

 _What in the hell?_ Jaune thought as he held his shield firm against the onslaught. _She's as fast as I am!_

He held firm letting the strength of the metal endure the blows as he rapidly thought of a counter attack. _Where's Pyrrha when you need her?_

Jaune pushed back against the flurry of strikes, feeling more than seeing his opponent flow back away from him. A rapid slash upwards missed the lady by a mere inch before he spun into her with his shield and slammed her against the wall.

He was charging after her airbourne form as he saw it contort around to allow her to spring off the wall _._ Her strike hit Jaune straight in the chest as he hit the ground with a dull slap. An axe kick to the head followed soon after, forcing a shield block from the less experienced fighter.

"You're not half bad." Her masked face leaned over him as she pinned Jaune to the floor, one arm at his throat. "Y'know, we'd been told about you before we set up this little operation for the boss. Said you had spirit." A slamming strike forced Jaune to spit out a dribble of blood. "Didn't say it'd be this easy though."

A rapid repetition of strikes struck Jaune's face before he managed to roar once more in effort as he threw the woman off his chest. She landed with all the grace of a cat as she turned her heavy gauntlets towards him.

"I'm harder to put down than that." He bragged.

His internal dialogue was more frantic. _Just gotta land a good hit on her. Her strength is drawn too much from her Aura, I can nearly taste it in the air. Once that happens, I can put her on defense and- Woah!_

This time, the lunging attack missed. Jaune's enhanced reflexes slammed down on the attacking woman with his hilt, forcing her onto the floor.

Another thwack or two for good measure satisfied Jaune that she was indeed out cold.

A fast clapping sound came from behind him and Jaune, still battle ready, spun around to face the new foe.

Her red hair flowed gently behind her as her bronze armor reflected the lights. "Not bad for a first time. Aura fights are rarely that quick."

"You were watching!?" Jaune shouted.

Pyrrha looked only a little guiltily towards Jaune. "Well, yeah… I just wanted to see how you'd do! Besides, it's not like I couldn't have jumped in at any time."

 _And I would have missed the show if I'd done that…_ Some dark section of her mind whispered scandalously.

Jaune stood there, his outfit straining against the outline of muscles underneath. His face betrayed every emotion in his head as it flickered between them.

 _She… I don't believe it! She just watched as that… Well, I appreciate that she didn't think I needed the help but… Dang it!_

Jaune's face eventually settled on "grumpy" even as his smile betrayed him.

Pyrrha, to her credit as a professional, only held a small smile on her face as she walked over to the unconscious agent. "Come on, Ozpin wants us to report back with her ASAP."

"Anything he wanted us to do here?"

"You find anything as you were getting your butt handed to you?"

Jaune glared good naturedly as he flung the enemy agent over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "I've done nothing to you. Why must you mock me?"

* * *

"Why couldn't you have brought her in conscious?" Moaned one of the lab techs. "It's so much easier to interrogate someone when they aren't drooling all over the seat!"

Jaune shrugged as he subtly pointed towards Pyrrha.

The lab tech just sighed, putting a hand to her forehead in disbelief. "Right. Fine. Just give me a second here."

A series of wires being attached, followed by a rather large electric charge, led to the entrapped woman waking up rather violently. "Where am I?! What the hell have you done to me?"

"Don't worry." Pyrrha's voice soothed. "Just tell us where another base is, or the main base even and we will let you go."

The person in the chair just scoffed. "Yeah, right. Even if I knew-"

"Why are you protecting your boss?" Jaune blurted out.

"What?"

"I mean, the guy didn't exactly scream "sane." What makes you think that defending him is gonna do anything?"

The woman just hmpfed in her chair. "You wouldn't understand, boy. Loyalty-"

"Doesn't seem to count for much at this point. You said yourself that he told you about me so why isn't he here busting you out? He's certainly got the power to do so…" Jaune left the unspoken implication hanging.

His prisoner sighed in response. "What do you think he'll do to me if I tell you? I mean, you've clearly met him. He's not exactly approving of failure."

"He's not going to get in here." The conifdent voice of Pyrrha interjected. "Trust us, it'll take more than one man to make it through here."

"Oh." The woman said. "Can you give me a minute alone?"

The two warrior left the prisoner in the room alone with the beleaguered lab technician as they stood watch outside.

"That was pretty cool." Pyrrha said.

"Huh? What?"

"The whole 'loyalty' play in there. Wasn't expecting you to try something that risky."

Jaune's eyes widened. "Uh… I had no idea. Seriously, I was just wondering who would follow that clown at all."

"People do weird things. Just look at the White Fang recently. They-"

"Hey!" The lab tech said from the door. "She's given up the location of a base. Not the big one but it might lead to something. Said it was time sensitive though."

Jaune and Pyrrha nodded as they sprinted towards the equipment room.

* * *

"Okay! Next time, even if we don't think it's a trap, we bring more backup!" Jaune shouted as he rolled under the spear of a minion into a stabbing position.

"What's wrong? I thought you wanted to fight!" Pyrrha laughed as she lay down a volley of suppressive fire.

"Yes!" Dodge. "But." Roll. "Not." Strike. Swing. Kick. "Like." Shield bash. "This!" Jaune roared as Crocea Mors' blade stabbed through another man's chest. "I thought I'd be fighting Grimm, not other humans!"

"You do know Hunters and Huntresses have to hunt down rogues, right? Y'know, people who go completely mad and start worshipping Grimm?"

"Oh." Jaune paused for a second, letting the momentum of his strike carry him through before his mind engaged again. "So what about-"

A scream ripped through the room as a hulk of a man burst in through the wall, scattering fragments everywhere. "You pathetic fools!"

"He's mine." Pyrrha stated, a gleam of battle lust flickering through her eye. "You handle the others."

Without waiting for a response, Pyrrha flung herself towards the muscle bound beast as she lunged in with Milo at his throat. His bare chest and cloth trousers gave her little pause as the blade glanced across the man's hastily moved chest.

With a landing more suited to a cat with it's grace, Pyrrha rallied and began an onslaught of stabs, thrusts and slashes against the man.

All of which, somehow, he managed to dodge. "Haha! You're slow, Nikos!"

A backhand missed her and she flowed around her opponent. The ham fisted attempts at him striking her never even came close to connecting as she danced between the blows. A flip into the air allowed her a new angle of the attack as she battered the man with her shield.

Staggered, the man charged full force at Pyrrha. His mighty frame undaunted by the ease at which his opponent had avoided him before, he lunged forward with both hands and grabbed Pyrrha in bear hug.

"I will crush you to tiny pieces! My master-" His monologuing was interrupted by a swift Aura enhanced kick in between his legs, causing him to collapse to the floor in writhing pain.

Pyrrha slammed the man in the stomach with her heels a few more times before turning around to observe the battle behind her.

What she saw was Jaune wrapping one of the minions in a headlock, punching him in the face repeatedly. "Good work!" He said, keeping easy control of his captive. "Little cruel at the end, though." A final slam into the captive's face dropped the man to the floor as Jaune walked over to Pyrrha.

"Anything goes in a fight, Jaune." She smiled, shaking her head. "Just because he forgot to guard himself doesn't mean that I can't exploit it ruthlessly." Her smile never wavered even as she stalked over to the crawling muscled hulk.

"Now, you're gonna tell us where another base is or I'm going to show you how effective these heels are…" The threat dangled like a sword on a horse hair thread.

"Hah, hah.." The man half panted, half laughed. "You'll never get there in time. My boss has been evacuating ever since you started sticking your head into our business. There's a base not far from here, outside of town. Heavily defended. Head north for a while, you'll see it eventually..." He laughed in pain.

"Why tell us? Even if it isn't some form of trap, why would you give up a base?" Jaune asked confusedly.

"Moment I leave this place, I'm walking to my death. Go to yours!" He just continued laughing even as he crawled towards the exit.

"We've got to move." Pyrrha said as she slammed the man's head into the floor. "No time to go back to base. You alright?"

Jaune nodded, his Aura rapidly healing the small nicks and cuts he'd received. "Let's go."

* * *

The great looming walls jutted out against the plains background that they stood up in. The iron was dulled from years of use even as the patrols continued around the barricades. The occasional human being could be seen in between the claws and fangs of various beasts that followed them.

"What in the world… How'd we not see this thing before?" Jaune gasped as he hid behind a tree.

"We don't have time to worry about that." Pyrrha hushed him. "That base is our main objective." Her own slight grin took pride of place on her face as she continued to survey the area.

Ignoring the obvious joke, Jaune asked "So, what? I'm gonna spring over the walls and try and break through?"

"I was thinking I would, but nothing saying we can't both do it."

"Sure! Why not. Let's go and fight against an iron wall and probably a horde of enemies behind them! Sure!"

"Come on." She laughed again.

The two threw subtlety out of the window as they barreled towards the giant steel sheets. Jaune's muscles tensed as he felt the Aura flow through him into the rough ground.

 _Okay, don't screw this up. Huntsmen have done this for ages, don't be the first one to slam face first into a wall._

The air rushed through his air as Jaune propelled himself straight towards the walls. The arc of his jump took him high enough to see an overview of the base.

 _Huh. Seems to be just… tents? One main structure at the centre, heavily guarded. Some patrols… Oh no the wall!_

The grey metal was rapidly approaching and Jaune's face was looking to get up close and personal with it. With a lurch, Jaune felt his body lunge forward just enough to fling his body over the wall into an awkward crouch.

 _The knees. Oh man, the knees!_

 _No time for that! Look!_

The hordes of screaming minions descended on him as Pyrrha gently landed next to him.

"I'll take the ones on the right." Jaune said, raising his shield. "Think you got the ones on the left?"

Pyrrha's answer was to charge in to the centre of her half and batter the poorly armed masses into submission. The wide smashing blows of her shield were punctuated by a rapid series of slashes and strikes from her javelin. A flipping motion sent a wave of her opponents flying towards the wall past Jaune as he stared, mouth open.

 _Damn…_

Without warning, Jaune parried a mammoth strike from his left and began following Pyrrha's lead. Where as Pyrrha had style and agility, Jaune powered through the phalanx of his foes with Aura buffed brute strength. The hilt of his sword cracked across one man's face as the blade slammed straight through into the chest of another. The blank metal masks of those surrounding them were splattered with ruby red blood as Jaune continued to surge forward.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted above the din of metal on metal. "There's a building straight ahead." As he diverted a hammer strike into one of his opponents, he continued on. "Probably a good place to start, eh?"

Pyrrha just shield bashed another minion before replying. "Race you there!" She managed to break out of her dogpile of foes before dancing through the remaining enemies towards the base.

Jaune simply battered his way through, ignoring the small scrapes and cuts he took as he did so. He could feel the bodies collide with his as he bull rushed forward, using both the sword and shield of Crocea Mors to creating a defensive field around him.

By the time they made it to the base proper, there were barely any minions left. Those who weren't slain were crawling away, desperately trying to heal wounds or simply trying to escape the carnage the two invaders had brought. The wooden structure looked flimsy enough as Pyrrha burst through the doors with Jaune lagging just behind. He could feel the whole building shake as he stared at the wall of maps.

 _Several bases, all spread out across the kingdom. Some even in the Outlier regions with one marked…_

His distraction helped an unseen figure crack him across the face and back out the door. "So!" Came a voice from the inside. "You're the lab rat!"

Pyrrha flexed into her defensive stance as she frantically looked around for the invisible assailant. "Oh my! And you brought Miss Nikos with you! How lovely. I've never killed a Tournament winner before… at least, not this year."

Jaune sprung up to his feet, his shield acting as leverage as he spun round into an almost mirror match of Pyrrha's stance. "Can you see her?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "Can't even feel her."

Jaune didn't have time to ask Pyrrha what she meant before the two were shoved apart violently to opposite sides of the compound. By now, even those still able to fight had sprinted off into the woods.

"Damn it!" Jaune shouted. "Show yourself, coward!"

"Now, why would I do that?" The voice mocked as a sharp cut appeared across Jaune's sword arm. "I'm having too much fun here!" Another slash across his shin forced Jaune to flinch down even as Pyrrha surged towards him.

 _Come on…_ Jaune prayed. _I know I've got a Semblance, Now would be a good time to activate! Please!_

Jaune's hands began to glow as he forced himself to his feet, his shield standing firm in front of him. Something overtook him as he staggered towards Pyrrha. He felt that same difference he had all those days ago, back at the testing base.

His hand grazed Pyrrha's hand before he was slammed back away. His hands glowed no longer as more cuts and slashes ripped through his clothes.

"Oh dear…" The voice cooed. "So close…"

Pyrrha threw her shield in a vain attempt as she lunged at where she thought the voice was coming from. As she lurched into the air, her shoulder seemed to graze against something.

Things progressed rapidly from there.

A bright burst of white light erupted from Pyrrha's shoulder as she landed, one hand scraping along the ground to slow her down. A cry of pain ripped through the air as the light faded and a slight outline could be seen.

"What in the hell?!" The voice roared. "Oh, Outis needs to hear about this. Damn the base!"

With as little warning as the bright light before it, the wooden building erupted into a cacophony of a Dust explosion. The fragments scattered violently all over the now deserted area, setting fire to the cloth tents.

Jaune, his blood dripping gently on the muddy ground, roared back in response as he threw Crocea Mors at the rapidly fading outline of his opponent. The shield ripped through the air, whirring like a buzzsaw as it scored a glancing blow.

Not enough to stop them regrettably as the shape faded into the rising smoke.

The shield appeared to boomerang back, digging itself into the ground as it swung back.

"Come on!" Pyrrha shouted. "We've got to get back to base!"

Jaune sprung up, his Aura already stitching his tattered body back together. A thousand plinking notes of pain played in his mind even as the two warriors dashed out of the burning torrent of flame they had caused.

* * *

"That's most interesting news." Crackled Ozpin's voice over the screen. "You say that you couldn't sense her at all?"

Pyrrha nodded. "She didn't even seem to have an Aura signature, Sir. If the Nameless have some form of invisibility…"

"Well, that would be regrettable." The Professor's voice paused. "Still, it was not a complete loss. Mr Arc, are you certain about the location of these bases?"

Jaune nodded, his stance full of certainty. "Absolutely. I can see it as clear in my head as I can see you in front of me."

The Professor nodded. "Then I must ask that you and Miss Nikos proceed directly to the largest base you identified. We don't have time to waste on this. By now, they may have already started to take actions against us. Good luck, you two."

The screen blipped out as Jaune let loose a sigh of relief. "Man, talking to the Professor is terrifying."

Pyrrha's laugh twinkled as she replied. "He's certainly very… direct. Come on, we've got to collect our new armor."

Jaune didn't quite manage to keep a look of surprise off of his face as he followed the crimson haired maiden towards the Quartermaster's building.

The large hulking form of the Blacksmith greeted them as soon as they walked in through the door. "Ah, Miss Nikos! And Mr Arc…" He said, carefully putting himself away from the firing range. "Your new armor pieces are in the booths."

Pyrrha nodded as Jaune and her walked quickly over. "Be out as quick as you can." Her voice was all business as she slipped behind the curtain.

Jaune pulled off his tattered clothes and took a quick moment to admire his new armor. The gleaming white plates were clearly drew in style from his old set, now lying on the floor covered in dents, but there was a line of gilding running over the edges that granted a grandeur that hadn't been there before. He started with the thigh guards, wrapping the heavy metal plates around and locking them in place with a simple click. The boots were simple enough fare as the plates clicked around them. The chest piece had his family symbol of two crescents etched into it in what appeared to be gold. The symbol shone clearly as Jaune attached the main shoulder guard of his new outfit onto his undercloth shirt. His gauntlets slipped on easily as he clenched his hands within them, feeling the firm leather wrapping around his fingers.

He walked out, Crocea Mors at his side in scabbard form and his great helmet at his hip as he met Pyrrha face to face.

He tried not to stare. Honestly, he did.

 _The boots are the same, it looks like. But her thigh guards aren't and the skirt seems to have been reinforced… Both shoulders have been fully armored even as they still leave that opening at her chest for her-_

His eyes frantically flinched up as he saw her eyes slowly observing him. _Oh man… This is bad. What does she think of me?_

Pyrrha's thoughts were along the lines of _Oh yes… That'll do nicely…_

"Should we go?" Jaune asked, hoping to break what he felt was an awkward silence.

"Uh! Yes! Let's go!" Pyrrha's eyes flickered back to Jaune's as turned and ran for the exit.

Jaune sprinted out, not noticeably slower than he had been running in even as his gleaming armour rattled gently through the room.

* * *

( **rwbyfan5** is still awesome. Just in case, y'know, you forgot.

Many thanks to **Zentari2238** for favouriting the story!)


	12. Chapter 11

" _The Outlier Regions are not known for their own Hunting Lodge as the Kingdoms are. Vale's Beacon Academy would not survive in the far more rustic landscapes of Remnant as the loose collection of villages would simply not see the point._

 _In the cities and to the villages close by, convenience is the word that flutters onto everyone's lips. Shops hold everything one could dream of or could easily trade for it given a little time. Food is bought from stores instead of painstakingly harvested and counted for the possible harsh winters that ramshackle houses can't keep out._

 _My journeys, quite naturally I feel, take me on long strolls through these little patchwork villages and I wondered something, as I often did:_

 _Why doesn't that technology, that way of life, spread further than the bastions that they are born in? Why is it that the small villages that could sorely use larger stores or a guard post with greater armaments or even just basics like Dust powered lights do not get them?_

 _The answer, as one particularly dull Mistrali official informed me, was complex. "Networks," she said, the word rolling off her tongue like a boulder. "The amount of time and effort that it would take to reinforce the locations would be inefficient. Especially considering the Grimm situation and the lack of Hunter recruitment from them." She flicked her ponytail over her shoulder as we walked slowly through the Hall of Administration in her town. Her officials garb, all blue and purely designed without flattery, was loose against her in the hot summer sun._

 _But why?! I voiced my frustration only to have it aggravated by the response. "They're simply not worth it." She replied. "If they had any use beyond more potential additions to any Grimm cults that get formed then maybe it might happen. Did you know that the majority of those asinine groups begin in the Outliers? Or that they just about produce enough food to feed themselves alone?" Her eyes shut closed as she took a small calming breath. "The Outlier Regions aren't all like that of course. But by the Bureaucracy, they cause people like me a larger headache than they should."_

 _I decided to sympathize with the woman. Her slightly greying hair along side her youthful face revealed as much to me as her shouting rant had. Surely there are positives to living in the Outlier Regions?_

" _Oh, certainly." She sighed. "Less or no paperwork. Laws are more… flexible to an extent and it's far more of an independent place than the cities or larger towns." She paused in her walk for a moment, leaving me to spin on my heel to face her. "But it just isn't safe. Even if they were able to attract some retired Hunter or Huntress to play defense for them, so many of them fall to the hordes that they don't even really have a proper chance to set up in the first place. Some survive, by location or luck, but most…"_

 _I placed my arm around her, letting her grief and distressed anger flow into me as best I could. We walked on in calming silence for the remainder of that sunny afternoon._

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

The gentle hum of the bulkhead engines provided background music to the journey over. The surprisingly large cavern held Jaune and Pyrrha on either side with neither one wanting to meet the eyes of the other.

"I think I've figured out my Semblance." Jaune's voice cut through the air.

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow and nodded for Jaune to carry on.

"So, I got to thinking." Jaune said. "When I touched your arm before and then the whole incident back at the warehouse…" He smiled slightly. "I think I can shield people."

Pyrrha smiled in return. "That's pretty cool, Jaune. You tried using it on yourself?"

"Yeah. It's harder though. Takes more out of me. Almost collapsed in my room when I tried earlier. But when I reach out to you... " His hand reached across the seemingly vast gap between them. "My Aura seems to want to latch on or stick on to you. Like glue or something." Jaune just shrugged. "Still, not much compared to yours."

Pyrrha paused, her eyes widening slightly. "Oh?"

"Yeah!" The enthusiasm filled the bulkhead. "I think you've attuned yourself to your weapons. Make 'em hit harder or more durable. I haven't seen you do any real maintenance on them and that whole ricochet trick you did-"

"Which one?" She smiled back.

"The one where you throw your shield and it springs around like it's made of rubber. That and I once saw you pull your weapons towards you by flexing your Aura at them. Barely felt it though." His eyes were wide with admiration at her apparent skill.

Pyrrha just stared back. "Sure. It's quite handy." Her awkward smile seemed to go unnoticed by the blonde man sitting across from her as the bulkhead touched down.

"Mr Arc, Miss Nikos, we're gonna need you to get moving ASAP." Went the tinny voice of the pilot over the intercom. "From our intel, this base'll probably notice us if we take too long."

The two warriors sprinted out of the open bulkhead door even as the huge airship was taking off above the canopy of the forest below.

As the engines roared to life, both Jaune and Pyrrha landed with a gentle thump against the muddy ground. The smell of ozone wafted faintly into their nostrils as they stalked towards their given coordinates.

"Storm shouldn't hit until after we're out." Pyrrha said, her shield held defensively up as she walked forward.

"You think they know we're coming? I know that the operative who fought us might have warned them but they can't know we're here now." Jaune whispered back.

The two continued in relative silence with the only real sound being the occasional clank of plate mail armor against the ground.

After a brief walk, the walls of the daunting base came into clear view through the dense forest. The stark metal walls seemed to absorb the light around them as they dominated the skyline. The silence hung in the air like a piece of rope.

"That's not good." Pyrrha whispered back to Jaune. "There should be something by now. A patrol or a guard tower." She shook her head as she dashed to the walls.

Jaune followed suit, leaning up against the walls with his partner. "What's the plan?"

"We split up. Explore as much of this base as possible and then get out. If we encounter any resistance, we fight our way here. You alright?"

"Just fine." With a bright smile, Jaune felt the Aura pool in great amounts in his leg muscles as he leapt straight up and over the wall.

His landing, while unrefined, was whisper quiet as the surrounding silence wrapped around him like a sheet. Faintly, off to his left, he heard a soft thump as he took a moment to take in his surroundings.

The base was sparsely developed. In contrast to the high walls that surrounded the base, every building was no more than a storey off the ground. No one building stood out as larger or more obvious than the others.

Sighing, Jaune flicked out Crocea Mors to full shield and drew his sword as he walked towards the closest building. A minutes or two passed before he got within touching distance of the walls of it. The concrete dullness felt rough even through his new gauntlets.

 _New construction._ He thought to himself. _Well, that or no-one's used it since it was built._

The storm rumbled off in the distance as he extended his senses to the building itself. Feeling his awareness stretch slightly further, the silence pierced his ears once again. No motion, no sound nor even an echo filled his ears as he shook his head once more.

 _What's going on here?_

He opened the door of the building to find it completely empty. The floors were simple concrete just as the walls were, a whisper of dust coating them.

Jaune retreated from the building frowning. He closed his eyes for a second and began to focus his newly empowered senses again.

A tugging at the base of his gut led him towards a building that seemed to inhabit more ground than its' brothers. The walls felt different to the touch even as a small sound of breath danced through Jaune's ears. Weirdly, at least to Jaune's mind, there was no smell to accompany the breath.

 _Everything has a smell._ Jaune thought, puzzled. _Even if it's a Grimm, I should be able to smell the blood on their teeth or something…_

The door opened easily as its' rusty hinges squeaked open to reveal a single caged section of the room. The walls gleamed with an orange tinged pattern that weaved across the walls like spider silk. The sound of breath still whispered to Jaune's ears, even as he saw no obvious movement or object in the cell.

"Hello?" He said, holding out his shield in front of him.

The breath abruptly ceased.

"Hello? I know you're here!" He shouted back to the now silent darkness.

A flicker of motion, so small it made him doubt he'd even seen it, passed his eyes as a low voice growled back. "You wear a new face today, thief."

"What? I assure you, I've had this face for a while no-" Jaune replied

"LIAR!" The voice roared back. "You always lie. Not a single sound passes your lips that is not tainted by your falsehoods. And now you want to steal even more? I will tell you nothing." The hatred in the voice was mixed with what seemed like longing. "You were leaving me to die last we talked. Why have you come back?"

"I'm not the man who captured you, whoever you are!" Jaune shouted back.

"You have made no attempt to free me. The room glows in response to your presence, thief. Or did you think I was blind as well as stupid?" The voice settled into a dull cadence.

Jaune's shoulders tensed as he sheathed Crocea Mors and stomped over to the cell bars. He pushed his Aura through his arm muscles, taking a second to reinforce his back muscles, as he pulled against the bars.

The resounding crack of concrete hitting metal echoed through the room, piercing both occupants' ears even as Jaune picked himself up.

"You think I haven't tried that?" The voice droned back. "You must think me a fool."

Jaune stomped his way out best he could while still maintaining his stealth abilities as best he could. He held a hand to his stomach, still feeling that sense of wrongness that he had before.

 _What in the hell were those markings?_

"Pyrrha!" He shouted into the wall of silence that surrounded him. No response came even as he stalked towards another building. The walls were the same as the others surrounding it even as the entrance way was clearly made out of something similar to…

 _Obsidian? Who the hell would build anything out of obsidian?_

The room inside was a mesh of bunkhouse and office block. Rows of filing cabinets lined one wall with papers strewn all along the floor. Drawing his eyes across the room, Jaune noted the rather cheap nature of the desk that inhabited the centre of the room. Again, the disordered nature shone through on the desk with papers all over it and drawers left half open. The row of beds on the other half of the building were all in disarray. Pillows were stacked on some beds even as blankets were hoarded on others. All in all, the room gave off the impression of having been run by a horde of unruly children.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted again as he walked over to the papers on the floor. The storm outside rumbled even louder before as he leaned down to pick up one of the strewn sheets.

" _Dear Mother, progress on Teddy Bears project is slow. My Shiny doesn't work like it used to. I'm going to find some more friends."_

 _What in the hell?_

Jaune picked up another piece of paper and could barely make it out the content through the scrawled writing.

" _Dreams getting worse. Which one am I? The user or the used?"_

Jaune started to rip through the different drawers of the desk, hoping to find something sane in the heap of paper madness that surrounded him.

" _Dear Mother, my powers are getting better…"_

" _The Shiny is talking again. Why won't it stop?"_

" _Not the real me. Some sort of echoed form…"_

 _"The base is still functioning well along with..."  
_

" _Part of a gestalt. Not one mind…"_

" _Dear Mother…"_ One letter caught his eye. _"I fought a man today. Well, not a man exactly. More like a boy playing a man. He felt like me. His blonde hair and blue eyes weren't mine but the Shiny glowed and tried to reach out to him when he got close._

 _Why did it do that, Mother? I thought you said it was mine. If it's mine, why does it want to play with others?! I had to stop it but even then I think it tried to talk to him._

 _Jaune Arc is a problem, Mother. He's like me but not me. Why is he like that?"_

Written in a far neater script below was an addendum

" _The Project progressed as expected. The Arc boy has clearly been enhanced by Professor Dove's sorcery and now has ample reason to seek me out."_

Jaune stood still as ice as his mind roared through the possibilities.

 _He was here. What does he mean by "Shiny?" Why are so many of these written like children but just as many written like adults? What in the hell does he mean by the "Teddy Bear" project?_

He rushed around, picking up any papers that mentioned "Mother" or any projects similar to "Teddy Bear." The storm outside thundered close as Jaune ran to the door.

His newly enhanced senses hadn't picked up on the new person in the room. The gleaming red eyes pierced through the room even as he pulled his short white jacket off and cracked his neck. The physique underneath was heavily sculpted with every muscle on show as if carved from pure marble. A crack of the knuckles was all the preamble that the man needed before a toothy grin tore its' way onto his face.

"Well." Outis drew out the word, savouring the word on his lips. "Wouldn't expect to see you here. Tell me, who cracked? Who's been telling stories?"

Jaune said nothing even as he flicked open Crocea Mors and drew the sword once more. The papers were hastily stuffed into a gap in his armor as he warily stared Outis down.

"Not gonna tell me?" Outis laughed. "Oh well, doesn't matter anyway. Nobody'd send you here if they had any brains at all so they won't be missed…"

"You're insane!" Jaune shouted.

"Oh, indeed." Outis kept smiling. "But I still do good work. After all, haven't you been spending so much time trying to catch me and my band of miscreants? Or did you just enjoy the thrill of hurting all those bad bad people?" He mocked.

"You wanted me here? Why?"

"Oh please. I couldn't care less if you were here. You've been running around like a headless chicken from base to base. Why should I care if you take one more? Even if I do have a fondness for this location…" The grin stretched a little further, almost painfully, before a small giggle of laughter rippled through the room again.

"Where are the other people who work here? The others who wrote these? Where are you keeping the children?!" His sword pointed directly in line with Outis' throat as his anger ripped through his voice.

Outis tilted his head in slight confusion before bursting out into laughter once more. "Oh, Jaune…" He laughed even louder this time. "You think I'd keep children alive here!"

A small pause slithered through the room before Jaune considered the implications of such a statement. Even as the laughter echoed, Jaune lunged at Outis screaming in rage at the muscled man.

* * *

( **rwbyfan5** is still awesome.

Many Thanks to **franck259146** and **Qatzol** for favouriting the story!

Hey, readers! It's that time again. As I celebrate **3,000 views,** you should feel free to **ask a question** about the story. Or heck, what about the Marvels of Rwby Series as a whole? I'm always happy to answer.

Thanks for reading!)


	13. Chapter 12

" _My research into the founding of the Hunting Lodges and Academies revealed a horde of information that most normal people I talked to were unaware of. The following gems stand out as particularly noteworthy and so I include them for those who might be interested:_

 _ **While**_ _the Hunting Academies do permit mixed gender bedrooms for Hunting teams, they do heavily frown upon any "amorous activities" taking place in those same rooms. This has not stopped young Hunters and Huntresses alike from finding every secluded spot on the campuses and engaging in those activities there instead. It has often been joked by the various heads of the Academies that they should just include a map with these locations to simply save the students time._

 _ **Contrary**_ _to popular opinion, "Ozpin" is not a hereditary title passed down to the current leader of the Beacon Academy. The same man, as far as most people can tell, has been in control for over two decades at the least. Most consider him mad for not having tried to foist the position off to some other poor soul when presented with this little fact._

 _ **Surprisingly**_ _, while Hunting is of course their major obligation and all else will be put to one side in the event of a Grimm attack, Hunters spend a large deal of their "on duty" time engaged in combat with so-called "Rogue" Hunters and Huntresses who have simply abandoned their task in favour of simple self interest._

 _ **While**_ _it is well known that Hunters and Huntresses all have a "Mantra" that they hear when they first awaken their Semblance, no-one is entirely sure where they come from or even if there is a link between the myriad different phrases that have been recorded. It is an old custom to write a small section of one's Mantra down in a sealed envelope so that it can be placed on a tombstone if the Hunter or Huntress should not be found or fall in combat._

 _ **Yes**_ _, Shade Academy had a fighting class where students and teachers alike were naked. No, it was not a reward but a punishment from the Headmaster of the Academy for a theft that went unresolved. Three students were treated for heat stroke and there were numerous cases of dehydration before the Headmaster capitulated and sent everyone inside. More than a few relationships started that day or so I've been told._

 _ **The**_ _Hunting Lodges existed before the Colour Revolution. While nowhere near as organised or with anywhere near as vast a reach as they have now, the small groups of people with Aura fought on the frontiers against truly vicious Grimm while the Chroma army held the peace and managed Grimm threats near the city centres. After the Revolution, the Lodges stepped in to fill the void left by the defeated Chroma._

 _ **It**_ _is said that a starburst of vibrant colours was the start of the Colour Revolution, which is in part how it got its' name. However, no-one can completely agree on how the display was organized. Some claimed it was a fireworks signal that went off too early while others say it was a group of Hunters that started it all by flaring their Aura after propelling one another into the sky. Some even claim it was a shattering meteorite_ _ _or some other heavenly symbol_ that burst before it could hit the ground intact."  
_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes - "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

As the searing heat of the blast tore into his chest, Jaune tried to right himself mid air before-

 _ **WHAM.**_

 _Oh, that's gonna hurt later._ He thought, even as the building collapsed around him.

Jaune flipped up from the pile of rubble he found himself in and quickly assumed his battle stance. Shield high and sword point resting gently on the top edge, Jaune stalked out warily. His senses flickered rapidly, searching for any sign of the bizarre foe he was facing.

He didn't have to wait long. "You know," came Outis' drawling voice. "It's a real pity the Doc didn't get to make more of you little toy soldiers. Not many people actually manage to get back up after one of those…" A wicked laugh ripped through the air as Outis' wiry frame ripped through the air towards Jaune.

 _ **CLANG.**_

A boot struck heavily against the shield of Crocea Mors, bending the metal ever so slightly as Jaune shoved back against the blow. A wild strike allowed an opening for a rapid flurry. Thrusts, slices, spins and overhead chops all played their part in the overwhelming whirlwind of offensive fervor that Jaune unleashed against his opponent.

Outis merely danced through the storm of attacks as if it were a light breeze. Each strike was met with a lazy shift of his form or an absurd show of flexibility as he slid easily back out of range. A triple backflip was all that was needed to flourish off the defensive acrobatics before the cackling madman began speaking again.

"Not bad!" The same teeth baring grin gleamed in the overcast battlegrounds' low light. "For a complete novice, you actually seem to know what you're doing with that little stick and dinner plate!" A low click echoed slowly between the two combatants.

"So sad it doesn't get you any range."

A thunderous cacophony of gunfire burst forth from the end of what Jaune could only describe as a "hand cannon." The heavy calibre shells started to litter the area around Outis within seconds as Crocea Mors began to bend once more against the strain of the attacks.

 _Got to get out from under this…_ Jaune thought. _I could try and distract him… Oh s-_

Another lance of furious light punctuated the hail of gunfire and blasted Jaune once more into the air even as it singed the once-seemingly invincible shield of Crocea Mors. Jaune began to take a moment to survey the now wrecked battleground.

 _Well, most of it still intact. The building with the files in is still there… as is the map-_

 _ **SLAM.**_

A ripple of air burst out from Jaune's landing as he took off into a dead sprint towards his foe. He could feel the Aura, still unfamiliar to him, ripple through his movements as he danced around the notes of bullets that began to surround him once more.

A slide underneath the bullets merged smoothly into a springing leap above them with only a second under fire punctuating the shift. No groans of exertion came from either warrior even as Jaune decided to take a page from his enemy and flipped out of danger behind a nearby wall.

 _Okay, just gotta distract him. Three, two, one…_

A whirring noise like a buzzsaw flew out from behind the wall, following the spinning form of Crocea Mors' shield as it flew straight towards Outis' still bared teeth.

A instant reflex stopped the hunk of metal dead in its tracks as Outis grabbed the shield and threw it to the ground. He laughed again, the cackles extending throughout his whole body this time.

"Oh! That's good!" Outis held his sides in overly dramatic fashion. "Who in their right mind throws a shi-"

Outis found it hard to speak with Jaune's fist rammed into his jaw. The slight hum of Aura surrounded the clenched appendage as Jaune gave a lion's roar and forced the grinning loon into the ground. A swift kick from his new boots followed up to send Outis skidding along the ground.

"I do." Jaune said, picking up his shield and flicking his sword hand idly as he pressed forward.

"Oh, that's clear." Outis wheezed from the ground. "Still, you can't do this!"

The same blinding intensity that sent Jaune into the air now surrounded Outis in a cocoon of charring heat as the white jacketed man screamed in triumph.

Dimly, through the cacophonous roar of the pain surrounding him, Jaune felt both sword and shield of Crocea Mors fly out of his hands and into the heat. Even as the breath was forced from his lungs in pain, he had only one thought.

 _Where's Pyrrha?_

He found himself, not a moment later, on the ground feeling the damp mud against his face. The slow stalking footsteps of Outis drew nearer, squelching through the mud that now covered his cheek. A groan of protest was all the signal Jaune gave before springing up to his feet and settling into a improvised hand to hand fighting stance.

"Ah, so the rookie has strength!" A low mocking applause came from Outis. "Well, you can colour me impressed, little Arc. Good show."

Even as his hands were flicking to his heavy pistol, Outis could feel the air in front of him shift as Jaune launched into a tackle and sent the pistol flying out of Outis' grasp. The two landed roughly on the ground as the began a brutal trade of blows.

A rough punch from Jaune was met easily by a practiced knife hand block from Outis. A rapid kick to the stomach forced Jaune back with deadly accuracy even as the blond haired boy tried desperately to leverage his strength.

No luck on that front. Jaune quickly found himself on the defensive as he awkwardly blocked and dodged a envelopment of blows from all angles. A punch to the head would somehow follow a kick straight to the knees even as an elbow made its' way straight for Jaune's back.

A wet slap echoed between the two. The mud tasted worse this time as Jaune groaned into it. The pain roared in him, tearing his attention away from Outis for a split second. No last minute dodge saved him this time as Jaune felt a sharp blow to his spine, ripping a pained shout from his lips.

"And so it comes to this." Outis whispered. "No great speech, no final words of defeat before I blast that pretty boy head off of its' shoulders, fake Hunter?!"

Jaune's will fought his body's instincts to stay down and quickly found itself in a losing battle. His mind flourished with thoughts and strategies even as he felt the tell tale sign of heat begin to surround the two once more.

 _I can still win this. Arcs do not give up, not ever. Just have to force my body up… Come on! Just an inch! Just one bit more! Come on!_

 _No._

 _No._

 _It does not end here._

 _It will not end here._

 _Just gotta keep pushing. Last little inches. Hardest part of any journey, just like Dad said._

 _Do. Not. Give. Up._

The blinding heat surrounded Jaune again, ripping itself through his armor.

But not from the outside.

Instead, Jaune felt the roaring fire run through his torso and straight out of his back. A scream punctuated the flames' emergence onto the battlefield from both Jaune, still in deep pain, and Outis.

"How in the name of-" Outis snarled as he backed away. "You're more of a freak than you bargained for, little Arc. Mother's gonna hear about this and then you're gonna wish I'd burned you slow."

A flash of bright light caused Jaune's battered frame to shift his head away from it, giving Outis the perfect opportunity to vanish.

 _Oh… Okay. Damage report._

 _Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow._

 _Deal with weird light show later. Find Pyrrha and leave creepy weird base with files before crazy man comes back._

His Aura rippled through him, stitching together what wounds it could and creating stop gaps on the more damaged areas for the moment. As he pulled himself up from the ground, Jaune could already feel the damage in his body start to fade away as he staggered over to his shield. The heater had obviously seen better days as the slight bend and burn marks pockmarking it's front suggested.

 _Still, seems battle ready. Probably survived worse in the war. Now to just get out of-_

"You." The baritone voice echoed across the courtyard.

 _Oh what in the name of all that is sane now?!_

"I see that Outis has been stepping up his program." The figure prowled into view, revealing a stark black long sleeved tailcoat with equally shadowy pants completing and a cowl to complete the ensemble. His shoulders slid easily in time with his steps, creating an image of grace despite the tones of anger that entered his voice. "And he's even started to be generous with his own gifts."

"What are you talking about?" The exhausted Arc said, weariness trumping diplomacy.

"That fire you used? Your Aura reinforcement? All his tricks. Not things you can simply learn. They have to be stolen from their rightful owners, thief." The bitter notes of what seemed to be disappointment only served to drain Jaune even further.

"Listen, I don't know what-"

"No." The word slashed through the air like an arrow. "I will not listen again. I heard Outis' lies and found myself imprisoned like some common thug. You will not have the opportunity to cage me again." The stranger flicked his wrists, revealing two machine pistols as he took aim at Jaune's chest.

Jaune could dash for cover in frantic adrenaline fueled speed as a single thought danced through his mind.

 _This is gonna suck._

A rapid staccato pounding bombarded the concrete Jaune was hiding behind as he desperately searched around for anything that could help him.

 _Rock. Rock. Piece of rubble. Rock. That'll work!_

A slide across the ground towards the object was all Jaune needed before he quickly checked the magazine.

 _Feels light. Probably about two thirds full. Okay, just don't do it like the training range and you won't get shot to tiny pieces…_

In between the pounding beats of his dark clothed opponent's pistol, Jaune flicked up and over the wall and began return fire. A wild first shot missed as the second forced the strange individual to twist and contort his body out of the way.

Jaune kept the pressure up even as the rain began. The first tale tale drops splashed and splattered before they even hit the ground as heavy round after round burst from the hand cannon Jaune now possessed.

"You sure we-" Another shot to keep his opponent off balance. "Can't talk?!"

His opponent remained silent, instead opting to dash behind a building out of sight. A flicker of shadow was all that Jaune saw before dashing over his shield laying in the dirt.

As the rain thickened, Jaune's enhanced senses extended out of his body as his arm slipped into the comfortable arm brace on Crocea Mors' shield. Just in time to have it bang and echo as a sharp sound loudly clashed off of it and back into the rain.

 _Pat, pat, pat…_ Went the telltale sounds of footsteps in the rain. Jaune simply held his new pistol out as another clang resounded against his shield barely above the heavy downpour.

Before the third clang had even begun to enter either battlers' ears, Jaune lashed out with his shield and struck the odd weapon out of the air as he spun to face his attacker. The man's black garments seemed pristine in the rain as he charged, not making a sound as he slashed out with his other pistols' guard at Jaune's throat.

A backhanded strike deflected the blow even as the stranger dove for the other one in an incredible display of acrobatics. Diving behind Jaune and then in the same leap diving under his pistol arm to grab the green pistol from the mud beneath them. As the stranger lie on the floor, he pointed both barrels straight at Jaune's head and clenched his hands tight against the triggers.

A graze cut across Jaune's cheek. He held firm not letting the numerous bullets force him back as he tried to push his way forward against them. A grunt of exertion burst forth from the stranger as Jaune found himself abruptly pushed back and flung into the mud.

No staccato beats of gunfire followed this time as Jaune's eyes caught sight of a gleaming piece of metal on the floor.

 _This ends now._ Jaune thought as he gripped the hilt and settled, with Aura coursing through his frame, into his familiar stance.

The response was instant. A flurry of quick slashes did little to dent Jaune's iron clad defense even as the rain made it difficult to see. A kick to the midsection was almost casually knocked away by Jaune as he struck straight ahead into a textbook full body lunge with his sword.

A sweep to the legs took Jaune down again and a quick stomp to the chest punctuated the flawless execution. Jaune could only stop and look as his opponent readied an axe kick to his head.

 _No! This. Ends._

His Aura flared again forcing the stranger back as Jaune sprung to his feet and began his own onslaught of strikes. Slashes to the throat and stabs to the arms and legs were sewn in expertly with shield bashes and low kicks to keep his opponent of balance. The cacophony of different blows easily forced the other man back.

It was all that the stranger could to keep his nimble body out of the way. Twisting this way and that, all he could eventually do was backflip out of the way of the latest wave of strikes and press his own strength against Jaune's shield.

The two stared at each other intensely, snarls barely constrained by each man's gritted teeth. Jaune glared into the stranger's eyes, a deep pulsing shade of orange, until he felt the slightest shift in weight on his shield.

 _There._

A mighty shield bash broke the two combatants apart, sending a shockwave out through the downpour. With his opponent still in the air, Jaune lashed out with a vicious kick and followed up with a flat blade strike to send his opponent flying back.

The squelch of mud was all that the stranger needed to try and fight back until he found himself once again mere feet away from the goliath in armor swinging his sword once more. The stranger threw his machine pistols at the iron behemoth and his stony facade fell at the seeming ease at which Jaune batted them out of the air.

His arms now aching from the effort, Jaune continued on with his strategy of all out offense. The same flurry of attacks, parries and bashed filled the air again with the crescendo of metal meeting flesh and whistling sounds that had been the soundtrack not five minutes earlier.

A roar burst forth from the stranger as he gripped the shield of Crocea Mors with one hand and flung it into the misty surroundings out of either warrior's' grasp. A simple palm strike and elbow combo led to the sword hitting the ground as both Jaune and the stranger resorted to hand to hand.

Neither could gain the upper hand. For every polished kick and palm strike that the stranger threw, Jaune either tanked the hit or managed to deflect it away. For every rough punch that Jaune forced against his opponent, the stranger could only dodge out of the way and try again from another angle.

For minutes, the battle raged in the rain. Neither man backed down with each one desperately trying to land even a single killer blow that would end the fight with their win.

Jaune parried a low kick to his shins as he jumped up and straight punched the stranger straight down to the floor. A groan of pain slipped from his now bruising face as Jaune stamped against the man's chest before kneeling over him and striking the stranger in the face.

A roll of thunder punctuated each strike as Jaune stared into those orange eyes once again.

"You lose, buddy. You're done."

The stranger gave a half smile as he shook his head. "No…" was all that worked its way out of his mouth before -

 _ **CRACKLE THOOM.**_

A massive lightning bolt struck right near the two, revealing a stone faced young woman holding a hammer. Her colourful outfit only served to punctuate her angered expression and white knuckles gripping her weapon.

She managed to growl out one thing before bursting forward, swinging wildly at Jaune.

"I'm gonna break your legs."

* * *

(For all things betaing, use **rwbyfan5.** **  
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Many thanks to **Killjoy funny man** and **vaughnilla** for favouriting the story!

As always, hope you're still enjoying this little story! Next update will be Saturday.)


	14. Chapter 13

" _Beacon Academy. For the citizens of Vale Kingdom, it is as familiar to them as the names of the Grimm. Every single person up and down the kingdom, from small town shop owner to the metropolitan office workers in the largest cities, tells stories of wonder about this training ground for future Hunters and Huntresses._

 _But what is actually **known** about this Academy? Compared to the more transparent Atlas Academy or even the oddities of Shade, Beacon stands out as a mystery to a majority of the common citizenry of the kingdom of Vale. _

_Part of this, most people suggest, is down to the headmaster. "Ozpin," a tall man with an long slender cane at his side, has been encouraging enrolment heavily for the majority of his tenure in charge. More students have joined the ranks of Beacon Alumni over the last five years than have graduated from any other in the last ten. Despite this, Beacon also possesses the dubious claim of the largest drop out rate amongst the Academies. Whether through exhaustion, failing combat marks or in some rare cases crippling injury, many students don't seem to go the distance at Beacon. It may only be ten or eleven out of each new cohort of students, but compared to Shade's near perfect graduation rate, it stands out as a little odd._

 _I spoke to a Huntress who counted herself amongst the legions of Beacon graduates and she had no idea why Beacon had the image it did. "Unaccessible?" She said puzzled. "Every time I spoke to Headmaster Ozpin, he always seemed open and willing to talk. True, I didn't talk to him more that a handful of times but he never struck me as the secretive type." She laughed a little as she continued. "Well, it might have something to do with his choice in teachers. They used to terrify me!"_

 _As we walked down the Vale High Street, she paused for a moment as she considered her earlier position. "The Headmaster does report to the Council though and everyone knows they're about as transparent as mud hiding behind a wall." I asked her about the Council as we stopped outside a clothing shop. "Hm? Oh, they're a branch of government. You know, like there's the royal family as a figurehead who "approve" the Law Chambers laws as the Judges preside over legal cases and such. The Council are the military branch of that. I'm surprised you haven't of this before! I surely can't be the first Valian you've talked to on your journey?"_

 _She smiled prettily as I blushed a little. To tell the truth, she wasn't the first by any measure but I thought it best to encourage her to see if she knew anything my other fellow travelers had left out._

" _Atlas and Vale work pretty closely together, especially the military branches. Some people think that Atlas has a backdoor to the Council and that an Atlesian General has a seat. But that's ridiculous!" Her laugh grated slightly as we walked away together down the street._

 _I was later informed by a friend of mine that she never let go of the lotus I left her, even after she married a Mistrali baker. She eventually passed it in on her daughter on her deathbed, or so I'm told."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

The storm broke into new music as the lightning began to strike the base. The stomping strides of the woman in front of him punctuated the roaring rain around him like thunder.

"Did he hurt you, Ren?" She said calmly in stark contrast to her demeanor not five seconds earlier.

Ren just held up a hand and gave the thunderous amazon a thumbs up. "Go… for it, Nora."

A wolfish grin overtook Nora's face as she held her hammer aloft to the heavens. The mighty war hammer glistened in the downpour as a bolt of lightning struck it.

 _Oh, don't tell me-_

 **BOOM.**

 _Right._ Thought Jaune. _She can call down lightning. The woman who just threatened to break my legs can summon lightning._

 _Run!_

With blistering speed, Jaune held tight to his weapons as he took off in the complete opposite direction to the-

 **WHAM.**

The hammer sent Jaune flying like a baseball back to the open courtyard he'd fought Ren in. The high flying journey didn't end when Jaune's shattered body collided with the ground. The momentum managed to carve a neat divot into the earth before Jaune eventually came to a stop.

"Can't let you get away that easy." Nora smiled without mirth. She flashed forwards again, the lightning coursing over her frame, as she swung down mightily with her hammer once more.

Even in his battered state, Jaune managed to have the presence of mind to raise his dented shield up in front of him. It was all his body could manage to keep his eyes on his opponent.

 _Just… gotta..._

A shouting form burst forth from the rain and the hammer slammed heavily into the shield with a resounding gonging noise.

The shockwave that followed sent both Jaune and Nora flying into masonry. The walls that surrounded the base now had matching holes at either end.

Jaune frantically tried to stand and force his Aura through his body to heal it. He glanced quickly at his shield and tried hard not grimace at the large crack that cut through the midline.

He failed.

"Gotta say," Came a voice from his left. "That's a pretty good shield! Can't say I've ever left one intact like that before. How's your armor?" Another rippling swing managed to miss Jaune completely before he found himself being tackled from the other side.

"Get off me!" Jaune shouted at Ren, elbowing his head repeatedly as the two flew through the air.

Ren just landed on top of the armor clad man and began punching him in any soft bit of skin that he could find. Naturally this meant focusing almost exclusively on the face.

Jaune's thoughts were slightly distracted.

 _Why._ Punch. _Won't._ Punch. _They._ Elbow strike. _Leave._ Hammer fist. _Me._ Another punch. _Alone?!_

As another strike forced Jaune's head to the side, he caught sight of a wondrous object. The sword of Crocea Mors lying not three feet away. It was more effort than he could gather to not cheer in relief.

Ren paused in his relentless assault of Jaune's facial features. "Nora! Need you over here!"

It was the last thing he managed to get out before Jaune headbutted the cowled man before throwing him off and dashing for the sword. His pistol poised for suppressive fire, he dove easily and grabbed the heirloom from the ground and jumped to his feet.

No sign of either opponent now. Jaune's ears searched through the cacophony of the rain even as he held an awkward stance with his new combination of weapons.

While his ears focused on finding his foes, Jaune's mind focused on trying to assess the damage.

 _Pain. Everywhere. That hammer's something else. Nearly shattered my arm along with the shield. Along with the chest pains when I breathe, I don't think I can-_

 _No. I can and I will. No other options._

A familiar slicing sound flew through the air as Jaune parried the bladed machine pistol straight out of the air and aimed reflexively into the rainy arena he found himself in.

"You mind telling me, before you try and take my head off, why the hell you were even here?" Jaune shouted to the air around him.

A low splashing noise forced Jaune to spin around and play acrobat as Nora barged into view swinging. While the hammer didn't quite have the speed, missing by a few inches each time, Jaune had to grit his teeth throughout the ordeal. His body spun rapidly as the hammer just kept on coming at him.

"I mean, you must have been here for the same thing I was!" Jaune shouted. "Couldn't be that you just happened to find this place!"

"I'm here for Ren." That same wolfish grin that promised pain dominated her face as Nora spoke. "He said he was just gonna do some recon but oh no, he had to get captured and get into a fight with a… whatever you are."

"Listen, I didn't want to fight your boyfriend!" Jaune lashed out with a quick barrage of fire before hearing an empty click from the chamber.

The empty pause between both combatants hung in the air before Nora sprung backwards and flicked her weapon to change it into-

 _That's a grenade launcher. Oh fu-_

That was all he managed to think before his instincts forced him out of the way of the heavy piece of ordinance and further into the storm cover. But even as he forced Aura reserves he hadn't felt before into his muscles, Nora's aim remained almost perfect as she managed to catch him in the blast of every grenade she fired.

"Now, Ren!" She shouted before unleashing a full barrage of grenades right at Jaune's feet.

 _No way she can be this accurate. How?!_

Jaune sprung back even as the blast forced him high into the wet air. It was a momentary gasp of stillness that filled him before he saw a rapidly-becoming-familiar form flicker above him, ready to axe kick.

All Jaune could see before the blow landed was those same orange eyes, now a little dull compared to earlier, glaring furiously.

 **WHAM.**

Jaune laid in his neat little crater, still gripping tight to his sword as he tried to stand up.

 _Something's broken. Still, that kick didn't have the same strength - ack!_

Another pained breath tore itself through Jaune's body even as both enemy combatants stalked to the edge of his little hole in the ground.

"I'm gonna hit him with the lightning now, okay?" Nora said, raising her hammer high over head.

"Wait." Ren's deep baritone resonated above the storm.

"Aw, but why?" Nora pouted.

"I have questions. Besides, I don't think he's going to be much threat at the moment. How're the ribs?" He asked tersely.

"Broken, thanks for asking." Jaune snarked back.

"Your sense of humour is still intact, thief." Ren stated. "It may be the only thing left if Nora gets her hands on you." As if on cue, Nora punched her fist into her palm and thunder pounded Jaune's ears.

"Why are you so willing to talk now?" Jaune said, sliding gently over to his sword.

Ren kicked him in the head away from the metal on the muddy ground. "Because I have questions. Where is your master?"

"He's not my-" Another punishing kick to the chest shut Jaune up.

 _Okay. Just gotta focus on building up the Aura. Stall, play for time. Pray that Lightning Girl at the back there doesn't get bored and toast me to pieces._

"You serve a coward." Ren's almost monotonous voice whispered, barely audible above the din of downpour. "He leaves you here even as he flees the scene. He builds up your talents without telling you where he stole them from." Ren's face morphed into a snarl before quickly assuming the more neutral expression it had earlier. "He forced you to be like him. To have your Aura twisted and warped by Dust-"

"That wasn't him!" Jaune coughed out, ribcage still aching. "I chose that! I fought my butt off to be like this! Just listen, I don't serv-"

Ren gripped the Arc's throat as he pulled Jaune close. "Your very existence is proof of your loyalty to him. No-one else outside of my village and that lunatic knew how to do that sort of Aura reinforcement! So you are a liar, just as your master is. I give you one last chance to be truthful: Where. Is. Outis?!"

Jaune's eyes flickered to the left of Ren's head as he saw another familiar figure stalk through the rain.

 _Finally._

"Oh, he's not what you need to worry about now." Jaune managed to cough out before a battle cry tore through the crumbling fortress.

Pyrrha Nikos, the Lion Heart of Mistral, gave an easy grin as she settled into her combat stance. Her flaming red hair stood out in bright contrast to her slick bronze armor as she glared daggers at her enemy.

"Put. Him. Down." Came her solitary warning.

"Make him!" Replied Nora, taunting.

A blast of rippling force struck Nora right in the stomach as Pyrrha dashed across the distance between them. A series of precise strikes managed to leave minor slashes all over her opponent, who just smiled back in response.

"Alright then!" Nora shouted, holding her hammer aloft once more.

Jaune headbutted Ren as he lunged for his sword. As both pairs of fighters stared down their opposite number, the battle began in an instant with renewed ferocity.

Pyrrha lunged at her opponent, feeling the familiar weight of Milo clash against the colossal hammer. With a nimble dash around Nora, she began an efficient methodical series of blood letting blows. The steel slid easily against Nora's skin as the flurry of slashes finished with a final breath of pride as she stared at the -

 _What?!_

Nora just stood there, her uniform slightly torn but with not a single actual wound ruining her casually strong form.

"Nice try!" Nora smiled as she held her hammer to the sky. The lightning came down on cue, striking the great metal weapon as Nora's grin widened. "My turn."

As the crackling lightning swarmed around her opponent, Pyrrha began her familiar routine of acrobatics as Nora started swinging like a baseball player at her head. A flip here, a narrow escape there and eventually Pyrrha forced a gap between the two might amazons.

"You're good." Pyrrha said, still trying to keep that distance. "Still, easy to be good when your Semblance is all you have."

The hammer being thrown was a surprise, Pyrrha would later admit, but even more more shocking was the blow that struck her in the back. A massive crack of a strike forced Pyrrha down to the ground as Nora laughed a little again.

"The hammer helps." Nora said before a sonic boom propelled her into the air.

 _Oh._ Thought Pyrrha.

She rolled to the side mere instants before Nora crashed into the ground, leaving a small but easily noticeable crater. As Pyrrha flicked herself back into her fighting stance, she found herself facing that same doomed sight that had forced her to eat mud mere seconds before hand.

She smiled a little grin as she flipped into the air, over the hammer, and then landed on the return flight back to Nora's hand. Her balance stabilised by her Semblance, Pyrrha rode the mighty hammer back to it's owner and slammed her shield straight into Nora's face with an Aura propelled burst through her legs.

A flurry of shield bashes managed to force the lightning enhanced woman back. As Nora raised her hammer in defense, she found her feet sliding inch by inch back as the battering blows struck her torso repeatedly.

Nora roared in defiance as she leapt back and flicked her hammer into it's grenade launcher form. A hail of explosions surrounded the two as Nora pulled the trigger as fast as her gauntleted hands would let her. The harsh shaking forced Pyrrha to once again go on the defensive as she held her shield up. Nora just kept on firing.

The rain had started to lessen as Jaune lashed out with his sword once more. A wide, easily dodged slash led to a rapid series of punches to his chest from his shadowy opponent. Ren simply eased his way around the wild strikes and struck with a slash of his own.

A clang resounded in the crater as the two warriors slammed their blades together. Muscles tensed on both sides as the two struggled desperately for every inch of solid ground on the wet slippery crater. A yell from Jaune and another wild swing sent both combatants weapons flying out of their hands. No sooner had metal left leather, both men went straight into hand to hand.

Brutal blows from Ren began the back and forth of their combat. A high kick along with a knife hand to the throat forced Jaune back into the edge of the crater as Ren lashed out harder, still keeping his face neutral even as he slammed a fist into Jaune's face.

Jaune retaliated hard even as his ribs sang in agony. A far less skilled punch nonetheless managed to force Ren off of him as Jaune propelled himself directly into a tackle. The men landed in a squelch of mud as Jaune attempted to disable Ren with an arm bar hold. A flick of the wrist freed Ren before he leapt into the air and kicked Jaune.

 _Why is it always the face!?_

Jaune roared once more, desperately trying to pin down his far more agile opponent with his limited repertoire of offensive moves. A punch, a lunging kick, even another few attempts at wrestling moves he's seen as a child did nothing to slow Ren's blinding speed. The rain had died down enough to see, in almost perfect clarity, the stalwart form of Ren.

"You fight well. But I must finish this now." Ren flicked out his hand as a low sharp noise pierced Jaune's ears. Before he even had a chance to raise his arm in defense, he saw only a flicker of movement before Ren was standing in the same place he had been before.

 _What happened? There's -_

A single drop landed in the puddle underneath Jaune's feet.

Another.

Another.

A slow, inevitable trickle slid down his chest as Jaune gently touched it, feeling only the warmth against his gauntleted fingertips.

"What did you do?" Jaune's voice whispered weakly as he slid back against the muddy edge of the crater.

Ren shook his head, the orange light in his eyes having now faded to reveal a vibrant pink. "I- I don't -" He shook his head again. "The gem. That prison. It-"

"Enough!" Pyrrha's voice ripped through the battlefield as Ren became intimately familiar with the ground. The dark shapes of his claws held his hands down. "This ends."

Both Ren and Nora found themselves flung into the air before being completely wrapped up in steel bars from the littered buildings of the once mighty fortress that surrounded them. As Nora's eyes closed, Ren's remained wide with guilt.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried, pulling Jaune's battered form towards her rapidly with a flick of her wrist.

A loud cry of protest ripped it's way through Jaune's mouth as he felt the weight of his injuries finally catch up.

"Sorry! Little too much power there." Pyrrha nodded as Jaune descended to the ground as Pyrrha tore off his chest armour.

"Heh," Jaune laughed feebly. "Never thought you'd be so bold."

No blush came to Pyrrha's face. "Broken ribs. A very deep set of slashes on the chest along with numerous bruises. Possible concussion and Aura exhaustion. We need to get you back to base." Her voice would have been right at home in the Atlesian frontiers.

"I'll be fine." Jaune insisted even as his voice told a different story. "Something's not right here."

"Shhh… Save your strength. Your Aura should kick in-"

"Lots of somethings actually." Jaune barrelled on. "Like how you managed to lift me out of that hole without lifting a finger."

Pyrrha sighed before gently grasping Jaune's hand. "I hate my Semblance." At Jaune's confused look, she continued. "I call it Polarity. If it's metal, I can control it."

"Seems pretty okay to me." Jaune coughed out.

"You've never seen what happens when someone gets impaled on a spike because you had a temper tantrum." She whispered bitterly. "Or how people look at you when they realise how much power you have. It's taken me so long just to keep it down to how I use it but it just keeps pushing me to do more. Be bigger, bolder with my displays of strength…"

"Hey," Jaune managed to whisper out again. "You're awesome. Doesn't matter what's going on, you saved our butts there. Well, my butt specifically." He laughed a little before grabbing his chest in pain. "Still, your kickass combat ability aside, what happened to you?"

Pyrrha turned away before answering. "Outis shut down my Aura."

"What?!" Jaune shouted before devolving into a fit of coughs. "How's that even-"

"I don't know, Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted back before taking a quick breath. "He waved his hand, these orange tendrils grabbed me and the next thing I knew I was on the floor pinned by my own armor. I never realised…" She just stopped abruptly. "It wasn't pleasant."

"Seems to be a common theme with that ass." Jaune whispered, eyes half open.

Pyrrha looked up and tilted her head slightly. Jaune continued. "That guy I was fighting, Ren I think? His eyes changed colour right after he decided my nice new armor needed some red on it. And before that-" Another gasp of pain as the blood started to stop flowing. "Before that, he was surrounded by these orange patterns in a cell. Maybe Outis' work."

"You think they're working together?" Pyrrha asked.

"Don't think so." Jaune inhaled sharply. "Okay, think I'm gonna try standing."

"What?!" Pyrrha snapped. "You've taken several high level injuries in the last hour or so alone! With your Aura in the state it's in - "

Jaune's clunking frame stood tall if not proud against the devastated backdrop of the destroyed base. "I'll be fine. C'mon, let's see if the town's got somewhere we can talk to Ozpin or Prism. Bring slashy and the electric girl." Jaune just staggered slowly with Pyrrha following close by.

* * *

( **rwbyfan5.** Beta reader extraordinaire!

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	15. Chapter 14

" _Haven Academy. The best and brightest (and richest, of course) members of Mistrali society will have the privilege of attending this elite training establishment._

 _A novel fiction._

 _Haven is actually more of a "dumping ground" for the elite of Mistral to hide or get rid of inconvenient members of their extended families. While many at the academy possess a powerful name that almost certainly has influence in court, their "choice" to become Hunters and Huntresses negates any bloodline claim._

 _(For more on bloodline claims and their historical impact in Mistral, I recommend **"Stained Silk Sheets: On Mistrali Bloodline Claims"** by Prof. Hong Se of the Library of Ten Thousand Wisdoms. While a little outdated at this point, not including the more recent scandals, it nonetheless holds many key examples of how they affected Mistral as a whole and without a doubt the best explanation of them for outsiders that I have ever had the pleasure of reading.)_

 _Haven occupies an odd position on the constantly shifting social and political ladder that is the Mistrali Court. A long standing institution, it holds a place of great respect on the surface to the many bureaucrats and minor politicians who seek to preserve their own (long serving) status in Mistral. However, as its' reputation is well known amongst the Court and its' seemingly infinite members, no-one ever mentions it officially. Try to bring it up in Court conversation, or heavens forbid in an actual Court session, and you will find yourself_ _ _quickly_ shunned and even vilified in some cases. _

_The headmaster of the academy, who for some reason refuses to be seen by anyone outside of the Hunting Lodges, is an enigmatic figure even without hiding in his office. Having assumed power by appointment to the position by Court, Haven has managed to represent a sort of middle ground between the very open admissions of Beacon in Vale and the exceptionally exclusive Shade in Vacuo. While all applicants do need a letter of recommendation from a Court official, these are hard enough to come by that it manages to weed out those who might falter in their duty but not so hard as to lose out on potential talent. The policy has worked out in Haven's favour more often than not. Having produced enough Hunters and Huntresses so that it can still hold the very popular combat championships while maintaining a solid Hunting network is clear proof of that._

 _But it's not perfect. The archaic nature of the Academy has seen several promising young recruits leave for other academies as the crumbling walls and ancient architecture fail to impress those with other options available. The lack of infrastructure hasn't prevented training by any means but it fails to project the image that Haven has in Mistrali society._

 _I must say, in its favour, the teachers at Haven are impeccably dedicated and skilled Hunters and Huntresses themselves. I had the opportunity to see one of them in combat during an exhibition match at a rather small combat tournament near the academy._

 _I have never been more impressed or amazed than at the display of adaptability and seeming ease at which the teacher controlled the battlefield."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

"So, that's your field report?" Ozpin asked, hands steepled on his desk.

Pyrrha nodded firmly as Jaune awkwardly bounced his head in agreement.

A low sigh slid through the room. "That's not good news." The older man stood up and faced the wide window of the Prism Main Office. "I had hoped that the prisoners you'd brought in were merely exaggerating for their ego." He turned around and faced the pair. "Good work, by the way. Miss Nikos, you have an assignment with the Blacksmith. Mr Arc, if you would stay for a moment."

Pyrrha nodded again as she gave Jaune a quick smile and a slow pat on the shoulder. As her footsteps faded down the hallway, Jaune turned to face the Headmaster.

"Mr Arc," Ozpin said. "I need you to question the prisoners about their abilities."

"What, like an interrogation?" Jaune asked.

"No." The word resounded through the room. "I would like you to talk to them. That's all. I believe that they would not respond well to our more… traditional methods of information extraction."

"Really, Sir?" Jaune's skepticism was easy to hear.

"You weren't in the room when they were freed from their restraints." Ozpin rose an eyebrow. "Allow me to tell you what happened…"

* * *

 _The steel cells were designed based on hours and hours of tedious and meticulous data gathered from Hunters and Huntresses of every possible strength, capability and Semblance type they could think of. It had withstood blasts that could rip through stone like butter and strikes that could shatter trees into splinters._

 _It hadn't come up against an enraged Nora Valkyrie though._

" _Let me out!" She roared as her fists slammed against the walls. The crackling noise coming from here did little to assuage the fears of the guards who stood stock still a good distance away._

" _Miss… Nora is it?" Ozpin said calmly. "I understand you may not know who I am but-"_

" _I don't care! Just let me and Ren go and I won't have to destroy your little base with enough lightning to be seen from Mistral!"_

 _Ozpin sighed as he closed the little sliding piece of metal in the door and wandered over to Ren's cell. The boy sat dead centre in the middle of the dim room, meditating in the lotus position from what Ozpin could see._

" _Mr_ _Ren?" Ozpin asked, concealing the weariness the other girl had brought out in him. "Are you willing to tell me how you were captured?"_

 _Ren's eyes flashed for a moment before he nodded slightly. "I will trade a question for a question with you. Ask more than your share and I won't answer again."_

 _Ozpin nodded. "Very well. Why do you think you have been brought here?"_

" _Because I lost, just barely. But it makes little difference. Where is 'here?'" Ren replied, his tone carefully controlled._

" _You're underground in the Kingdom of Vale. Why doesn't your ally settle down?"_

" _You might as well try and stop the storm." Ren smiled slightly. "What did you do to the man I fought?"_

" _How do you mean?"_

 _Ren considered for a moment. "How did you change his Aura?"_

" _He asked for it. A Professor offered him the chance and he leapt at it. Anything more, you might want to ask him. Why does it matter to you?"_

 _Ren's lips pulled tight. "I… thought the people who had the ability to do that were all wiped out."_

 _Ozpin leapt on that information. "Who was capable of doing that? I had thought Professor-"_

" _Now you are out of line, Headmaster." Ozpin's face betrayed nothing but a slight widening of his eyes. "I will speak to you no longer." The boy returned to his meditations, collapsing into the middle of the floor in an oddly graceful show of protest._

 _Ozpin simply nodded as he turned away from the door and marched back up the stairs._

* * *

"Huh." Jaune leaned in towards the Professor slightly. "Why would he care about me? He pretty much destroyed me in the fight. And his friend would have burnt me to ash if it hadn't been for Pyrrha."

"All I want you to do is gather as much as you can about their abilities." Ozpin's eyes gleamed with a little mischief. "There's nothing stopping you from asking anything else."

Jaune nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Sir." He bowed slightly as he turned to leave the room.

The long walk to the cells took Jaune clear across the base. The dirt paths that had been worn in by many hundreds of men and women stamping along them took Jaune past the Armory as he caught sight of Pyrrha.

"Hey!" He shouted to the flame haired woman. "We didn't have much of a chance to talk earlier. How're you holding up?"

Pyrrha looked bemused as she responded. "I should be asking you that. How many broken bones did the doctors say you had?"

"It was just a few fractures!" Jaune replied petulantly. "Nothing that my body didn't end up fixing anyway."

"True." Pyrrha drew out the word. "But you should still take it easy. You might feel fine -"

"I do!" Jaune's smile stretched across his cheeks easily. "Trust me, the doctors wouldn't have let me out and walk about as I am now without being sure, would they?"

Pyrrha paused, leaving a small awkward silence. "I guess not."

"Tell you what. If I collapse into a pile of sludge, you can be the first to say 'I told you so!'" Jaune laughed a little again as his shoulders released the knot of tension he'd been holding.

Pyrrha laughed in response. "Okay. Well, I'll see you later. Blacksmith's got me working on some new project, says he needs my talents on it."

"Can you tell me what it is?" Jaune asked eagerly.

Pyrrha shook her head with a small grin on her face. "It's a secret."

With that enigmatic statement, she spun on her heel and began walking her way across the base.

 _Man, she's got a really nice walk. Just the shake and sway and -_

 _Shut up! Look away! Cease this line of thought before we're ripped to tiny shreds!_

 _C'mon, there's no way she'd -_

Pyrrha turned around and gave Jaune a raised eyebrow look. The Arc boy managed to somehow miss the pleased smile that came with it.

 _Go. Run. Into the cells and hide under the bed before she breaks all of our bones._

The staircase down to the cells forced Jaune to hug the walls to avoid colliding with various Prism personnel as he finally hit the floor of cells with his one time opponents. The dim lights barely illuminated the area, lending every corner a shadow.

 **Knock. Knock. Sliiiide.**

"Hello?" Jaune asked through the gap.

"Ahah!" Came the energetic reply. "So, time for the torture is it? Or the experiments!? Well, I'll tell you now, buster, you're not getting a single thing outta me without a fight!"

Jaune stared blankly through the slot in the door before shaking his head. "What?"

"Well, isn't that why you brought us here, Nameless?! That's what you did last time! I swear, I'll rip this entire place down stone by stone on your heads!"

The same blank stare covered Jaune's face. "We're not Nameless."

The tangible energy from the room died down. "You're not?"

"No!" Jaune shouted. "Why would I fight Outis if I was part of his insane gang of lunatics?"

"I didn't know that!" Nora shouted back. "All I saw was you hurting Ren! Why'd you start a fight with him anyway?"

"He started it! He launched at me from the rain and tried to beat me to death." Jaune felt a small grin come to his face at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

"Well…" Nora looked awkwardly from side to side. "You didn't have to fight back!"

"Something tells me that wouldn't have worked. You and your boyfriend seemed pretty good in a fight."

"He's not my boyfriend." Nora sighed, the energy now fully exhausted from her.

"Huh. Wouldn't have guessed that." Jaune continued. "So, thunder Semblance huh? That's pretty neat. Calling down lightning on people..."

Nora stood up and stared through the cap in the door. "Not a Semblance. I mean, yeah it was cool and all... "

"Wait." Jaune interrupted. "You mean the lightning wasn't you?" His eyes went wide in disbelief.

"Oh, it was all me." Nora smiled that wolfish grin she had back at the base. "Believe me. It's just not a Semblance."

Jaune's eyes flickered rapidly from side to side as he processed the new information. "So, what? Like a rain dance? Magic? Really big water balloon?"

"I'm not gonna say." Nora stuck her tongue out. "You might have had Red tie me up in all that metal but I'm gonna figure a way out of here. Just you wait." She glared a little through the gap even as she kept the smile on her face.

"Well, can you at least tell me about the hammer trick? I managed to catch a glimpse of it in between Ren punching me in the face. That whole returning thing? Pretty badass." Jaune grinned.

"I know right?! It was really hard to manage at first. Took weeks of getting hit in the face and-" She paused abruptly. "You won't fool me that way. I'm not saying anything. Hmpf!" She spun her head.

Jaune sighed as he nodded in defeat. "Alright. Fine. But please understand, we're not Nameless. We want to fight Outis. Just because we had one misunderstanding doesn't mean -"

"Then talk to Ren." Nora snapped. "If you can convince him, then maybe we can talk. But after what you did? You'd have a better chance standing in a rainstorm with me again." Her grin promised pain this time; less playfulness and more clenching of teeth ensured that.

Jaune slammed the slot shut as he turned around to the other cell.

 _Well, hopefully Ozpin wasn't lying before…_

He knocked gently on the cell door before opening the slot this time. A low "hm?" was all he received in reply.

"Hello?" Jaune asked.

"Ah." Ren replied. "You have come to finish the job." The lean muscled boy stood up from his low meditative position. "Very well." He held his arms out wide in a gesture of defiance.

"What?! No!" Jaune replied.

Ren's eyes closed in confusion as he tilted his head. "I don't understand."

"I just want to talk."

"But I tried to kill you. Broke a huge rule in doing so." Ren looked away from the gap in the door and sighed a little.

"The claws, I'm guessing?" At Ren's wide eyes, Jaune continued. "Your eyes changed when you used them. Figured it might have something to do with those."

Ren flashed over to the door, his eyes filling up the entire slot. "What colour were my eyes?" He tone was aggressive but not angry.

 _Is he..._ Jaune thought _Worried?_

"They were orange, just like those crazy lines in that cell you were in. Why does that matter?" The instant Jaune had finished speaking, Ren punched the back wall in his cell and cried out in rage.

"That monster!" The pounding of the wall punctuated each word Ren said. "How could he?!"

"How could he what? Tell me!" Jaune tried to shout above the metallic din.

Ren turned around, his normally neutral face twisted into a mask of gritted teeth and bloodshot eyes. "Outis… tried to make me a tool of his will. I thought I was free of it when I left the cell but then I saw you and-" He took a heavy breath as his shoulders flexed in response. "I assumed you were like him. That you wanted me dead and were willing to lock me up like he did. Those markings got into my head somehow." He turned away from the door and sat down in the same lotus position. "I do not know if I can make amends for this. Especially as I used my claws."

Jaune stood shocked before he could properly ask a question. "Those were sharp. What're they made out of?"

Ren looked up and sighed gently. "A rare metal. I don't believe there is any more. Even if there was, it was hard enough to make the claws let alone anything bigger."

Jaune nodded. "Okay. So why were you at the base in the first place?"

"I was hunting. Outis had passed through a town with his hordes and I decided I should be the one to put him down. You can see how well that went." Ren's head hung low, his chin easily hitting his chest in shame.

"Oh." Jaune said awkwardly. "Same here."

"I am sorry. I… need to think." With that, Ren's low voice vanished into the cell.

Jaune turned on his heel, his thoughts a flurry of possibilities and contradictions as he walked back to Ozpin's office.

 _He seemed so different from when I fought him. That passion and anger, none of it was there…_

 _So what? He tried to kill me. I shouldn't be feeling sorry for him_

 _Something's wrong though. His eyes changed colour and he actively backed away after they did._

 _So? Could mean he has a charged Semblance. Doesn't make him a good guy._

 _Doesn't mean he had the opportunity to slash my throat and didn't take it either._

 _What about Lightning Girl back there? She seemed pretty happy to… how did she put it? "Break our legs?"_

 _She was clearly defending Ren. We'd do the same for Pyrrha._

 _I suppose…_

By the time his hand had knocked on the great wooden door of Ozpin's office, Jaune's thoughts had progressed no further on any issue he had thought about. His face was a mixture of puzzlement and tiredness as he stepped into the grand room in front of him.

"Sir?" Jaune's tired voice said.

"Ah, Mr Arc. I just received the intelligence back about that base you mentioned."

A lance of electricity shot up Jaune's spine. "And?"

"It does seem to be there. Reports from the local region seem to indicate a high level of foot traffic along with Grimm in the area."

"When do we get going then?" Jaune asked.

Ozpin took a small breath before answering. "Not for another month."

"What?!" Jaune shouted, his anticipation now fueling his surprise. "But Sir, by the time we get there it could be abandoned and Outis could be halfway around Remnant by then. We need to-"

"Do not think to presume that I have not considered that, Mr Arc." The voice Ozpin spoke in was like steel scraping against stone. "I am also aware that we will need time to gather strength and mobilise forces in order to properly attack this base. Tell me, how is your shield?"

Jaune looked away in frustration. "Isn't there something we could do?"

"I'm doing everything possible at the moment." Ozpin replied with change in his voice. "Tell me, what did you learn about our guests?"

Jaune relayed the conversations in detail, much to Ozpin's seeming surprise. "Not a Semblance? But then how…" He tapped his cane against the ground a few times. "Ah. And you say that Ren seemed… apologetic? That he was being controlled?"

"Yes Sir. I… find it convincing." Jaune said to his own shock.

"Hmmm…" Ozpin hummed. "For now, rest up. You'll need to be in top form by the time you visit Ren again."

"Why Sir?"

Ozpin smiled slightly. "I think we might trust your instincts, Mr Arc."

* * *

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Hopefully you're still enjoying it!)


	16. Chapter 15

"' _Rogue' is a catch-all term for any Hunter or Huntress that chooses to no longer Hunt. This controversial term has only recently entered common speech but has been used by the Hunting Lodges for as long as anyone can remember._

" _Ah yes," One old Huntress I spoke to said. "It was around long before I even started training." She leaned across the table and gracefully filled my cup with her special blend of tea. "We used to use it for any person that sided with the beasts. Happened more often than the history books would care to mention. But I'm sure your own research has revealed as much." Her coy smile did little to cool my fears as I carefully sipped my tea._

" _Yes, there were a few Hunters and Huntresses that decided that maybe that little Ursa won't eat them or that they could bond with the Nevermore by feeding them other humans. It never lasted for long. They either died by our hands or by the claws of the beasts. Such a waste._

" _Now, of course, the term's used for any Huntsman that neglects their duty to Hunt. Which seems unfair to me. Many of us need time to rest after a long Hunting trip and so we might not respond to every single threat to our villages. I ask you, if I'd been hunting a horde of Gojira for weeks on end and I've just got home, should I be blamed if I don't sprint head first into the next pile of trouble that slips my way?" Her voice remains as calm and jovial as it had at the start of our little tea session but the bitter words do not suit it._

 _I ask about the mission system that was recently introduced by the Academies. "Madness, Tatar. Simple madness." She takes a small sip of her cup before launching into another tirade. "While I understand that it's a good way to get the newbies involved and cover missions other Hunters and Huntresses may not be able to, it just doesn't prepare them for the relentless nature of being on duty. Rest, being able to pick and choose and even say no to requests are luxuries that only Huntsmen near cities will be able to experience. If those children decide to settle down somewhere like the Outlier Regions, they'll find themselves burnt out."_

 _But what about the teams, I ask. The lady sighs heavily in response. "That relies on them coming with you. Many teams simply fracture due to differences as small as location."_

 _I quickly veer the conversation back to Rogues. Are there any recent examples she might have heard of? "Well, there was some speculation not too long ago that Citrine was caused by a group of Rogues. Decided they needed to beef up their own numbers, or so rumour would have it." She smiles a little. "Atlas apparently had some defections but they aren't considered 'Rogues' as much as traitors."_

 _She set down her teacup and looked at me dead in the eyes; her own piercing me like needles. "And what would a traveller such as yourself be concerned about them for, hm?" She adjusted the coaster idly. "Not many come into my shop with your questions on their lips. At least, not for so long."_

 _The woman casually stood up and moved over to the door. "Who told you?"_

 _I tried to deflect the question before the teacup in my hand shattered into tiny pieces._

" _No one here knows who I am." The little pieces slithered and scraped across the table before reforming perfectly next to the other cup. "I would appreciate the privacy. So, who told you?"_

 _I, carefully and directly, stated that I figured out her identity on my own. I'd chased rumour and legend in equal measure and come to the conclusion that she resided here. The Shattering Lady was not someone who simply lay down and died._

 _She smiled lightly. "I've heard of you, little wanderer. You make such a noise as you crash on through the cities. Come, sit and tell me more of your stories and I'll not tear your throat out." The delicate sweetness with which she delivered the threat only served to heighten my own sense of fear._

 _I left no lotus there. I merely walked calmly out of town as the flames warmed my back._

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

"Sir?" Jaune asked, still confused.

Ozpin just smiled as Pyrrha glided in. "Professor! I've managed to make those adjust- Oh! Hi Jaune!" She waved enthusiastically.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to send you in for a more personal chat with our mysterious prisoner. I think it might bear surprising fruit."

"Sir, I know I said I thought he was under some sort of control but-"

"Come now, Mr Arc." That infuriatingly knowing smile was painted across Ozpin's face as stood up and gently stood behind his desk. "If you can get either prisoner to help us attack, we stand a much better chance of beating this 'Outis.'"

"But Sir-!"

"He's not wrong." Pyrrha interjected, placing a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "From what I saw on the recordings from the cells, 'Ren' seemed guilty somehow. If they're not lying when they say they hate the Nameless…" The promise hung in the air.

Jaune sighed. "Well, you're gonna get to say 'I told you so' at least." He shot a rueful smile at Pyrrha.

"You'll do it?" Ozpin asked, his hands resting on his cane.

"Yeah, why not. Not like you're gonna just let me get beaten up again, right?"

Ozpin merely sat down at his desk and began reviewing files. Pyrrha just sauntered out of the room not making a sound.

"Right?!"

* * *

 _Man, they really need to find some proper seats for down here._ Jaune thought as his head rested gently against the hard concrete.

 _This can't end well. I mean, I trust the Professor's not gonna send me into a room where I'm gonna die but…_

 _I don't know._ His hand stroked his chest, lightly feeling the five lines of raised skin where the agonising claws had ripped him open.

 _Can't believe how fast I'm healing. Even with my Aura in the red, my body is still stitching itself back together._

 _Doesn't change anything._ Some dark part of his mind whispered. _Shouldn't we be fighting the people who try to slash us to ribbons?_

 _They could be helpful. Imagine if we'd had Ren's speed or Nora's might when we hit Outis?_

 _We nearly had him!_ That dark part of his mind again. _We sent him running, didn't we?_

 _Yeah, right after we summoned that whole Aura blast again. He was right about to give up as he held that pistol to our head._

 _Pretty good pistol though. Much better than anything Blacksmith tested us with. You think he's ever gonna let us back on the range again?_

 _Depends. Do you think he'll ever have hair on his arms again?_

Jaune sighed heavily as he stood up and banged on the door. "Ren!" He called through the metal entryway. "I'm coming in."

The door's lock was simple, only twisting one way. Jaune's hand grasped the handle on his side and warily creaked the door open.

Just as before, the centre of the room was occupied by Ren, meditating in his lotus pose. His fists were gently pressed together as he looked up. "Ah." Ren whispered. "This is where you take revenge, I take it?"

"Believe me, I'd considered it." Jaune stood close by the door. "But for now, we need to work together. The Prism Organisation would like to request-"

"No." Ren's voice was like a whipcrack. "At least, not until you answer a few questions for me."

Jaune just nodded. _Can't hurt. Not like he's going anywhere._

"Who enhanced your Aura for you?" The question slid through the air like a knife.

"Sorry?" Jaune asked, his shoulders tense.

"You weren't always like this. The way you fight and move is too… expressive for any long term service. You also feel so similar to that man I think something similar must've happened to you. So, who was it?"

Jaune clenched his fists. "A good man. He gave me a chance when everyone else thought I'd fail."

Ren nodded. "You chose it then? It wasn't forced on you?"

"Of course not!" Jaune shouted back, his tension uncoiling like a rubber band. "I fought for this opportunity!"

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to help people! Why'd you put on that hood and start fighting Outis?"

Ren glared at Jaune. "I was chosen."

"To fight Outis?"

"To fight all those like him." Ren stood up and folded his arms tightly. "You have no idea what Nora or I've sacrificed to stop him."

"Then make it worth something." Jaune pleaded, diplomacy overruling tension. "If you've really given up so much to take this guy down, work with us. We need every available person when we finally go after this guy."

Ren paused, clearly deep in thought. "You really want to go after him? Even after what he did to you?"

An exasperated Jaune replied. "Especially after that."

Ren considered this for a moment. He flicked his hands as if he were trying to reveal the claws again; a sort of reverse grasping motion that opened his palms to the room.

"I suppose I need to make amends for my mistake. Even if my actions weren't my own, the wounds on your chest were still mine." Ren nodded his head. "Alright then. I will help you."

Jaune stared for a moment. "Are you serious?"

"Of course." Ren smiled slightly. "The claws are not meant to be used on anyone but my current prey. Once he is dead, I may choose to work with you again."

"Oh. That's… neat." Jaune said awkwardly.

Ren nodded again. "When do we start?"

"Well, I've got to try and convince your friend in the cell but that'll probably take less time now that-"

 **BOOM.**

The door from across the hall slammed in the concrete corridor as Nora stomped her way out of the cell.

"That won't be a problem." Ren stated.

Nora turned her head towards the black clothed warrior. "We working with them now?"

"Yes, Nora."

She nodded. "You satisfied with their answers?"

"Yes, Nora."

"Can we get pancakes?"

"Yes, No-" Ren paused. "Is there a place we can get pancakes here?" He whispered to Jaune.

Nora just smiled as Jaune led the two out of the long corridor.

* * *

The weeks that followed were a wide ranging mixture of very different experiences…

* * *

 **Day One:**

The Armory was pretty much empty that day as Jaune stood a couple of long strides apart from Ren.

"Seeing as we've got time before the actual assault, I thought it best if we have a little training spar. Just so we have a better understanding of each other's capabilities in a fight. Let's do some hand to hand." Ren said, flexing his arms.

"You just wanted to hit me in the face again." Jaune accused.

"I didn't say that." Ren smiled. "Now, I'll let you begin when you're-"

A dashing charge from Jaune was easily nullified by a slapdown push from Ren. "Alright then." Ren laughed a little as he punched Jaune straight in the jaw. Jaune took the blow and spun around into a hammer fist to his training partner's chest. The rapid backflip saw Ren propelled across the training arena and into a flawless fighting stance.

"You've got a solid base to work from." Ren noted. "Still, I think you can do better. C'mon, Jaune." He gestured with one hand and the battle was joined again.

* * *

 **Day Two**

"So how does the whole lightning thing work?" Jaune asked Nora as they walked out to an open field.

The energetic red head just shrugged. "Not sure. Just have to hold my hammer in the air and…" A dark cloud burst into the sky above them, showering the two and the surrounding area. "Can't hold it for long though." She smiled lightly and the clouds parted to reveal the beautiful summer sky that had been there moments before. "Took about three weeks of waiting just to manage that stunt back at the base. Even then, had to use the clouds that were already there…"

Jaune stood there and shook his head. The drops splattered all across the now muddy ground. "Still, being able to call lightning down when you need…"

"Oh yeah!" Nora beamed. "It's great! When Ren and I went Hunting last time, I pretty much shattered this small line of Grimm while he cleared up the stragglers and runners. Guess I'm the heavy hitter for Prism, now!" She boomed her laugh as far as she could, startling the small birds in the trees.

Jaune wavered his head from side to side. "Well, I don't know..."

* * *

 **Day Four.**

"Are we sure the base can handle this?" Ren said, stretching in place. "Nora's not the type to hold back."

"Trust me, just watch." Jaune nodded at Pyrrha, who raised her shield in her normal fighting stance.

Nora, not bothering to wait for a starting signal, took this as permission to hammer the other red head into the ground. She leapt into the air, her Magnhild rushing through the air held high by it's masters own strength. A screaming cheer tore its' way through the room as Nora started her downward descent.

Straight into the ground. The resulting plume of dust covered Nora and created a neat little crater. Pyrrha just stood there, smiling gently before nodding finally and turning around to the exit. She spared only a small glance at Jaune.

"How did she-" Ren began to ask.

"She'll tell you." Jaune smiled. "Now, our turn. I'm gonna try that arm bar you used on me last time…"

* * *

 **Day Seven**

"So what is the plan?" Ren asked as the newly formed group sat down for their evening meal.

Jaune looked to Pyrrha, who nodded, and then turned to the rest of the group. "Well, I've been running ideas past Pyrrha. Considering the mountainous terrain, a smaller group should be able to infiltrate the base first to identify weak points and draw some forces away from the main gates. If we can manage that, the Prism forces should follow in behind us and take the base from the Nameless."

Jaune turned to Nora. "We'll need as much help from the weather as possible. As much lightning and thunder as you can manage."

"Beyond that, though, Pyrrha doesn't seem to agree with my other ideas." Jaune looked slyly at the battle mistress sitting on his left.

"I'm telling you for your own good, the lone Hunter gambit only works in the comics!" Pyrrha replied back, a little heat entering her voice.

"How many missions have you been on solo? You're still here!" Jaune retorted.

"Because I had the element of surprise. And I wasn't going up against anywhere near this size of a facility! You've read the reports, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. 'Massive power output, Grimm presence unusually high for the area, Large underground work.' I know. But that doesn't mean I couldn't do some damage while I'm in there!"

"You have no guarantee that Outis would even let you get that close." Ren replied. "He's a lunatic but his insanity is only served by his intellect. He's probably got traps all over the base."

Jaune huffed petulantly. "Well we'll need some way of getting inside further. Right now that first infiltration team, if our information is correct, won't make it more than a few hundred feet in before they get swarmed by Nameless."

"We can work through other scenarios tomorrow." Pyrrha gently patted Jaune's hand. "So! Who wants noodles?"

The enthusiastic cheer echoed throughout the barracks.

* * *

 **Day Eleven**

"So why are we taking this mission?" Jaune shouted.

"Professor wanted to see how well we performed as a team under pressure." Pyrrha shouted back.

"That involves throwing us out of a bulkhead mid air, how?!" The wind rushed past Jaune's hair even as Nora cheered the entire way down. Her hammer was held in front of her and the grin on her face was pure joy.

 _Oh she's gonna crush somebody with that, isn't she._ It wasn't even really a question, more of an exasperated observation.

"Don't worry! Just use a landing strategy!" Pyrrha cried out.

"A landing wha-" Jaune managed to shout before his body reflexively began to move. His shield was still being fixed so he lunged forward with his sword, letting the sharp blade take some momentum by slicing through the trees even as he spun rapidly through gaps in the canopy branches.

He slammed down in a perfect three point landing, his fist crushing a branch beneath him. "Well, that worked." He pulled out his pistol and looked around for his team.

High in the branches, Pyrrha just stood easily as she nodded in approval. He caught a glimpse of Ren's shadowy gear flickering between the trees and Nora…

"Are you flying?!" Jaune began to stare at the skyward amazon until she managed to descend ever so slowly to the ground.

"Nah." Nora replied, heft her hammer over her shoulder. "Glide pretty well though. Just jump in the air and I can go for miles!"

Jaune's jaw dropped just a little more, even as the team moved on through the dense forest.

* * *

 **Day Fifteen.**

"Shut up!"

"But it's funny!"

"I don't care! It was a panicked reaction!"

"But you just-"

"Don't care! Still not funny!"

"You beat an Ursa to death with another one's arms! You were literally bearing arms against the Grimm!"

Jaune stomped off into the Prism base and rapidly into a shower. Ren and Nora were still laughing even as he dripped water on the carpet when came back down.

* * *

 **Day Twenty Four**

"So, how quickly do you heal?" Pyrrha asked.

"They keep doing tests. So far, all they can figure out is that my body just doesn't like to change from how it is now. Beyond that?" Jaune shrugged.

"That's just cheating." Ren replied. "You and Nora just don't play like the rest of us."

"Yeah, well, the moment I dodge half as fast as you can, you can complain." Jaune laughed as he opened a can of soda. He took a sip before asking "Wait, Nora heals fast?"

"No…" Nora drawled out from the sofa. "It's just harder to hurt me. Watch!"

She leapt up and grabbed a knife from the drawers. The Barracks provided a sharp cooking knife that, despite its obvious damage dealing potential, barely managed to leave a scratch against Nora's skin.

"See?" The light white mark was already fading quickly. "It's like armour!" Her grin was wide across her face.

Jaune and Pyrrha just stared in obvious shock while Ren just lay against his chair and shook his head in exasperation.

* * *

 **Day Thirty.**

"This is your plan, Mr Arc?"

The office was no less intimidating, even as he felt the comforting presence of his… _Friends? Allies? Teammates?_ At his back.

"I've gone through it with the others. They all thought it stood the best chance of success. Sir."

Ozpin steepled his fingers on his desk. "And you're requesting more than two hundred soldiers to join you?"

"Yes, sir. They'll be the main force that breaks through."

Ozpin hummed. "Well, I must say that I'm impressed by your planning Mr Arc. My own plan was far less conservative. Are you sure you can pull it off?"

Jaune just smiled as did the rest of allies. They all stood there, beaming with pride as Jaune delivered the final word.

"Absolutely."

* * *

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	17. Chapter 16

" _The relatively new Atlas Academy is a bastion of military efficiency in both design and student output. Not a single graduate has been anything less than polite, well disciplined and full of nothing but praise for their former home._

 _Naturally, I was more than a little curious._

 _Contrary to the many rumours that have been spread around like so much manure, Atlas actually isn't a drone factory. That's next door. While the constant drills and relentless physical training don't leave much time for any deep philosophical thinking, there is a small degree of conversation between students and teachers. Talking back at the wrong time can still earn you fifty laps with another classmate on your back but they don't treat their students half as harshly as some of the kingdom forces I've seen._

 _The Hunting Lodges and the military do overlap to a significant degree in Atlas but students at the Academy are not forced to sign up for any service. There are a great many benefits to doing so (better housing and rooms, special classes with the Professors and a small pay packet to name a few) but Atlas at least pretends that Hunters can be separate from the military._

 _(An interesting point of military history here: If you read up on the history of the Great War, you'll find more than a few scholars have identified a whole host of different reasons for the superior military forces of Mantle and Mistral being beaten. Some common ones include the terrain advantages of Vale, the numbers advantage, the surprising Grimm attack on Atlesian soil at Snowdrop Fortress and the small combat teams that formed the Vacuo-Vale alliance. But one historian, Professor Lu Se of the Library of Ten Thousand Wisdoms, has noted that the Mantle Hunting Lodge didn't get involved on the Mantle side of the fighting whereas the Vacuoan and Valian Lodges all came to help their respective Kingdoms. This was, in part says Professor Se, down to the low numbers in the actual Lodge itself. As many have noted before, the natural geography and weather of Mantle forced the entire populace to be more hardy and so the need for dedicated Hunters and Huntresses lessened. For more on this, read Professor Lu Se's "Hunters not Soldiers: How Mantle's Hunting Lodge won Vale's War.")_

 _There is no headmaster as such for the Atlas academy. The military give that position to a high ranking official but policy and education are more set by them than the person they put in charge. This does give a remarkable degree of consistency to the curriculum and, as I mentioned before, the students are all of a high calibre of training and skill. My sources have led me to believe that they are looking to change the position sometime soon as the current General in charge has decided to retire as soon as there is a suitable replacement._

 _A high order, even for the masterful warriors of Atlas."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

The roaring flames were spreading even as Jaune dragged his heavy frame away. The small dribbling of the fuel line only served to force his arms to grab handfuls of grass further and further away. He felt the comforting weight of his armor and weapons against him as he finally managed to haul himself from the wreck that had been their transport.

"Hey!" Jaune shouted. "Pyrrha! Nora! Ren! Where are you guys?"

A large of pile of crushed metal ripped itself open as Pyrrha walked easily out and towards Jaune. "I only had time to wrap myself in metal. I'm so-"

"You did the right thing." Jaune stated, desperately looking around for any lurking Grimm. "Any ideas on where Nora and Ren landed?"

"After Nora punched the hole in the hull and grabbed Ren, I've no idea. Do you think that they would have…" The sentence dangled like a tattered flag in the air.

"They did what you did. Just acted on instinct and got out of the bulkhead as soon as possible." Jaune shrugged, feeling his shallow wounds already stitching back together.

Pyrrha nodded. "Right. What we need now is shelter and water. There might be some in the ships' hull but I think we stand a better chance if we-"

The explosion blew both warriors off their feet as they spun in the air to counter the force. Pyrrha floated herself down to the ground just as Jaune slid further away from the damaged wreck across the dry ground.

"Okay, so bulkhead retrieval is out." Jaune stated. He flicked his head slightly to the side. "Wait, do you hear that?"

A low patter of footsteps burst out of the forest line as a shadowy figure stepped into view.

"Are you hurt?" Ren asked, reaching for a small pouch on his belt.

"Nah, we're good." Jaune waved off the attempted help. "Nora with you?"

"She's doing some aerial recon. Trying to figure out where we are." Ren looked around. "Any idea what hit us?"

Jaune closed his eyes and let the memory wash over him.

 _Everyone strapped into the bulkhead. Pyrrha on my right, Nora across from me and Ren sitting next to her. The smell of oil filled my nostrils even as the slight hint of cologne wafted into them from the cockpit._

 _A smile on Pyrrha's lips. Her eyes sparkle as she-_

 _Focus in on the details. I felt the ship rip itself to pieces just after that strange feeling up my spine. Just like…_

 _No. No way. We weren't even in long distance barrage range! Nothing in Vale had that kind of distance._

"I'll need to check my theory with Nora, depending on what she finds but…" Jaune swallowed and looked at his team mates. "I think Outis did this."

Ren stared quizzingly at Jaune. "You think he managed to take out a bulkhead without getting in range of our weaponry? He's powerful, Jaune but I don't think he could…"

"Think back," Jaune said to both Pyrrha and Ren. "Was I the only one who felt that Aura just before we got hit?"

Pyrrha nodded. "I felt it. I just thought we were close by."

Nora, in all her subtlety, decided to slam down right next to Ren. "We're about a few days walk away from the mountain base. There's a stream that'll take us most of the way there. Any idea what took us down?"

Pyrrha quickly relayed the theory to Nora. "No way!" Nora shouted.

"Yes way." Ren turned and began walking towards the base. "C'mon. We'd best get moving."

* * *

The sheet of night slid across the sky gently as the group settled down for rest. A makeshift pair of tents stood a few feet away from the roaring fire that they all sat around.

"So how'd you guys get together?" Nora asked.

Pyrrha looked at Jaune before giving a small grin. "We bumped into each other at a Prism base."

"Oh! You met at work?" Nora said, now smiling herself.

"No, no. I mean he literally walked straight into me." Pyrrha gently laughed as Jaune shook his head.

"Hey, now, I was tired! I'd have probably walked into the wall if you hadn't caught me first." Jaune grumbled good naturedly.

"You really didn't know who I was?" Pyrrha asked, ignoring the ever increasing grin on Nora's face and the slight smile forming on Ren's.

"I didn't! I'd only known about the Vale side of things!"

"So when did you guys kiss for the first time?" Nora blurted out.

Jaune and Pyrrha froze mid-banter.

"Come on… Don't be shy! It must have been pretty soon after. That classic meeting, the shy newbie and the experienced Huntress…"

Both Jaune and Pyrrha blushed furiously at the implication and stammered out various excuses before Jaune managed to fire off a return shot. "What about you and Ren? How long have you two been together?"

Now all four of the team were blushing, although some less so than others.

"Swiftly moving on…" Ren managed to stumble out. "How long have you been working together?"

"About a couple of months or so." Jaune said, avoiding Pyrrha's eyes for the moment. "How about you guys?"

"Long as I can remember." Ren smiled again. "We used to play Huntsman when we were kids and now…"

"Now we kick ass!" Nora cheered to the laughter of the rest of the group.

The laughter and mirth carried on all through the night.

* * *

The slow morning sun crested over the tree line as the group set out once more. A quick stop at the rushing stream for water was the only respite any of them had before a rapid march towards their objective.

Heading the group, Ren's eyes flickered rapidly across the woods as his sure stride kept them firmly on target. Pyrrha's easy loping steps followed behind as she kept her sense open for any possible attackers using metal in the trees. Nora and Jaune pulled up the rear, each keeping watch for a possible ambush.

They marched in this exact order, never wavering in their pace as they battered and hacked their way through the dense underbrush.

As the noonday sun crested above them, Jaune and Ren both signaled for a stop.

"You hear that?" Jaune asked as he flicked his shield out.

"Sekhmet. And not just a pair, a whole pride." Ren launched his twin machine pistols out of his sleeve holsters as the rest of the group drew arms.

The low growling noise started to reverberate through the small clearing the group now found themselves in.

 _Oh, so that's a Sekhmet…_ Jaune thought, holding his shield between him and the razor sharp claws of the beast in front of him.

The beast stood barely four feet off of the ground. A hunch of its shoulders brought it's narrow, slim head closer to the ground and the slowly increasing puddle of spit that it's dripping maw was steadily creating. The white bony fragments that denoted it as Grimm sloped over it's dim blood red eyes and slashed across its belly in vicious slashes. It shifted eagerly in place before roaring viciously into the air.

The ground rumbled in response. Pouncing out of the shadows around the warriors came a frantic horde of teeth and blood drenched claws. The growling became ever present as the prowling beasts advanced.

"Nora, Pyrrha. You're on damage. Hit as many as you can as hard as you can. Ren, you take any escapees. We want this horde dead before they can alert a Pride Leader. I'll take bodyguard duty. We got that?"

They all nodded and flashed into action.

Ren shot out first, firing a barrage of pistol rounds straight into the face of the Sekhmet nearest him. Catching it's attention, he quickly took to the trees as he drew a small fraction of the horde along with him. A flick of the wrist turned one little kitty into black sludge as the sharp guard of Ren's pistol slashed through its head.

 _Dash. Strike. Move. Kill. Just as Father taught._ Ren thought dispassionately as his bullets forced his own personal hunting pack of Sekhmet back. A axe kick to the head quickly allowed him to propel himself in the air as he shot wildly into the seething mass of Grimm flesh. A moment later, Ren fell down to to the ground and slashed through the head of one of his foes. Despite the wound, the beast lunged at Ren before it's head thumped dully to the ground. He sprinted around seeking any that sought to escape.

Jaune found himself slashing more than shooting. His swings held a practiced finesse that to them as he lashed out at the claws of a Sekhmet as he held off another clawing at his shield. His armor managed to hold up to the tender mercies of the teeth of another beast as he frantically stamped down on its head. Black sludge once again splattered across the field of battle.

 _Okay, just like practice…_

Jaune leapt into the middle of a particularly large clump of the beasts as he roared. "C'mon! Come get it! Tinned food!"

They all swarmed around him, a flurry of claws and teeth all vying for a piece of the loudest meal they'd ever had the pleasure of ripping to pieces. Before any of them could do any severe damage, Jaune roared once more.

The blinding light burst forth from his body, tearing the bloody beasts off of Jaune and flinging them towards the others. Only a few managed to stay close enough to actually lunge back towards Jaune's panting frame.

 _Right. Well, let's try this!_

Stabbing his sword into the ground and quickly unholstering his pistol, Jaune pulled back his arm and threw his shield straight at the jaw of a larger Sekhmet. He watched in awe as it not only managed to crush the teeth of his target but also ricochet off and hit two more beasts before slamming back into his hand. The new Dust rounds in his pistol hammered into another beast as he frantically holstered the pistol again and began slashing again.

Nora was jumping around the battlefield, smashing and crushing anything she could get her hands on. With each mighty swing, she could clearly hear the weight crunch of a jaw snapping or a bone breaking. Her own Aura enhanced each blow as she cackled with delight.

A particularly stubborn beast managed to avoid enough of her blows that it slashed across her arm, sparks flying even as a low rush of blood rolled down her arm. Nora screamed in frustration as she summoned down lightning to burst the beats into tiny pieces on fire.

"You got any more of those in you?" Pyrrha cried out as she slashed through the few beasts near her.

"A few!" Nora shouted back as she cracked another beast over the head. "Wanna be saving them for the base though!" She lunged through a dense knot of the beasts even as the lightning coursed through her.

Pyrrha slammed down to the ground as her shield easily deflected a slash. Her naturally athletic style of fighting allowed her to flow around the swarm of claws. As she leapt into the trees, she shifter Milo into its rifle form and began sniping. Each shot pounded the battleground clearing with a might boom of impact as each round pierced straight through the weak eye sockets of the beasts. A few of them began clawing at the tree their enemy was in, hacking at the bark as their claws ripped through the wood.

The red haired Huntress smiled. As the tree tumbled down, she pushed off of it and forced it faster into the dirt. As the noise of several crushed Sekhmet ripped through the forest, Pyrrha lunged confidently at the drooling maw of another. A quick stab and twist and she flicked off the black sludge from her spear.

"Where are they all coming from!?" She shouted as she shield battered one straight into a tree.

"We need to move." Ren called out. "If we stick to the high branches, we should be able to outrun them and rest a little before mounting another assault."

"Sounds good. Move!" With a flash, each member of the team propelled themselves into the surrounding canopy and began tree jumping behind Ren.

It took a matter of seconds for the now thinned pride of Sekhmet to begin following them. The low rumbling that had begun this fight now followed them, rampaging through the forests like a tidal wave of darkness.

"Nora!" Jaune shouted as the trees began to thin. "Give us a shock to start then it's everyone on full offense. Go!"

The air took on a faint taste of ozone as the lightning burned through the trees and into the dark knot of prowling beasts. A second after the flames had died out, the four warriors all leapt out of their high canopy safety and began to Hunt.

Ren, now free of his role, began flickering from weakened beast to weaker beast and slashed their throats. His precision shots with his machine pistols managed to pin down a few of the horde before Nora could smash them. With incredible speed, a torrent of black sludge burst forth as Ren simply dashed around it. A quick flourish into a spin managed to take out Ren's own section before he decided to help Nora.

She wasn't exactly worried by the beasts. Each mighty swing took three or four of them and sent them flying high as she stomped on several others with a roar of bloodlust. With Ren at her back, Nora's smile was only partially due to the thrill of combat. Her mighty roars were soon punctuated by the booming thunder of her own grenade launcher. Springing into the air and firing straight down, Nora pelted her small knot of beasts with a single pink grenade.

The resulting explosion ripped through the forest as Pyrrha casually raised her own shield to block the shock wave. With a matching roar for her comrade in arms, she catapulted herself towards the nearest beast as she slashed its head clean off, letting it thump once against the ground before kicking it like a football into the open mouth of another. A series of precise stabs took out that one in short order. A simple spinning move ripped through the enemy groups as she ricocheted her whirring buzzsaw of a shield off of Jaune's.

He batted back to her with practiced ease even as his simple strikes ripped through the body of a poor Sekhmet pinned against a tree. A rapid flick of the wrist sent his shield flying and ricocheting before he pulled his pistol out and shot three times, felling three beasts to the ground. The shield was simply caught even as another beast managed to slash across a small segment of unarmored skin. With a cry of pain, Jaune turned to face his blooded enemy and began slashing with his sword.

Each new volley of blows opened up great slashes of red on his foe. Eventually, even as the strikes carried through and began hitting the last stragglers of the would be hunting pack, Jaune kept slashing. The blood ran swiftly down his sword arm as he shouted incomprehensibly while he rammed the sword of Crocea Mors straight through the large cat in front of him.

A single shot ended the Hunt as Pyrrha picked off a sprinting Sekhmet escaping. Pausing for only a moment, the victorious group took a moment to survey the carnage they had wrought. Even as the sludge began to seep into the ground, the small glinting of claws and teeth created an almost artistic tableaux of a gory night sky for them to admire. The numerous slashes and gunshots littered the woods around them leaving small fragments of bark to mix in. The silence was only broken by a single shouting voice.

"Hell yeah!" Jaune called out as he held out a hand. "We kick so much butt!"

Nora matched him as she slammed her hand against Jaune's for a high five. "Hell yeah!"

The more sensible members of the group chuckled as they cleaned off their weapons.

"Alright." Jaune said, still smiling but visibly calmer. "Let's carry on. Maybe rest early tonight. Y'know, recover the Aura we lost here."

Everybody nodded as the group carried on their rapid pace into the forest.

Before long, the occasional roots and trees began to fade away for more rocky terrain. The nighttime sky was glittering with stars as the group sat down to rest.

"How long left?" Jaune asked, stripping off his armor.

"About a day or so before we're in sight." Ren said, pulling off his tailcoat jacket. "Then we need to see if they've got something we can communicate with Prism with there. See if we can't get that assault we need."

"And if we can't?" Pyrrha asked, resting her shield and spear against a nearby log.

"Then we batter on through. You saw what we did there, right?" Nora cheered.

"She's not wrong." Jaune smiled at Pyrrha. "They're bound to have a comms station or something. If we can get inside, we can signal over the frequency the Professor gave us."

"Yeah, I suppose…" Pyrrha sighed. "Right, who's on first watch?"

"I'll do it!" Nora sprung up from the ground with her hand held high. "Not much chance of me sleeping for a while." The others shrugged and retired to their tents for the night.

Nora sat down with her hammer held gently across her lap as she looked out into the black murkiness of the night.

* * *

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	18. Interlude - Valkyrie

_The cool familiar weight of the hammer rested against her shins as she sat cross legged in the gentle starlight. A slow wind blew through and she felt the breeze wrap itself around around her like a pair of loving arms._

 _She closed her eyes for but a moment and felt the wind drift her off into memory…_

* * *

"Nora!" Mother was calling again. Nora just continued running outside, letting the cool air wrap around her as she sprinted around the garden.

"Nora!" Mother's voice came up straight behind her as the tall woman hefted the little girl straight off the ground and up into the air. "Ah, my little one. You must come when Mother calls you else…"

Mother put her down on the ground and pretended to growl. "Grimm, Grimm are gonna get you! Raaaar!"

Nora laughed delightedly. After all, back then it was just play time. "Eeeeek!" The girl screeched as she dashed away from her mother's tickling claws.

Father came home to find Nora on the ground giggling unashamedly as her mother ran her hands up and down, tickling all the while.

* * *

 _She didn't remember her father often. The faintest flickers of memory came to mind. The thick beard she used to pull on, his strong hands, that kind face…_

* * *

"Father?" She waddled gently over.

"Yes, child?" He said, swinging his hammer down.

"What're you doing?" The innocence shone brightly as the little girl tugged at the man's trousers.

"Ah!" He smiled. "Well, child, I'm breaking wood!"

"But Father, don't you use an axe for that? All my books say so…"

A merry laugh burst out of her father, a deep booming thing that filled any space it could. "Ah, if I were a weaker man, I might! But it takes real might to break wood with a hammer. Especially like this!" He placed a piece of wood on the stump before quickly smashing it into even smaller woodchips.

"Wow!" Little Nora gushed enthusiastically.

"It's not the only thing I use this for, you know." He placed the hammer down and easily placed his child on his own broad shoulders. "When Mother and Father need to, I swing the hammer while your mother uses her knives to stop bad people!"

"Are you like Ask and his mighty axe?" The old childhood story had filled many a long night for the small child.

Another booming laugh. "Oh, I might say so… Now, we might be going into town soon. Would you want to come with?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

* * *

 _Nora took a deep breath._

 _Keep the thunder in. Just like they taught you. Feel the lightning but don't let it loose._

 _Another breath._

 _It happened. That doesn't mean it has to control you now._

 _Another breath._

 _She felt the comforting weight of the hammer against her, steadying the storm of emotions in her like a rock. She remembers how different it used to look…_

* * *

Blood.

A dripping trail followed the small girl all the way up the mountains. She'd been on the road not more than an hour or two before she dove into a small cavern to rest.

She'd fallen over once. She'd never do so again.

The cavern was dimly lit as the little girl stumbled in. No light save the dim winter sun from the outside.

A small glint of metal caught her eye. As her young eyes adjusted to the darkness, she made out the shape of a mighty hammer.

 _Just like Father's…_

The leather straps wrapped tight around the haft as a small series of names were elegantly stitched into it. The great metal head had some words carved into it that Nora could just about make out in the dim light.

 _Whomsoever can wield this hammer shall possess the power and the might…_

The little girl held onto it, letting the heft of the metal remind her of home.

 _Run, Nora!_

Tears lulled the girl to sleep as her cries echoed in the small stone cave.

* * *

 _Her sadness had only brought more trouble…_

* * *

A low growl rumbled through the cavern. Nora woke, terrified of the danger she might have brought on herself. She felt herself pull at the hammer as her fears escalated in time with the rising noise.

The prowling of the paws of the great Grimm in front of her did not stop her from desperately tugging.

 _No. No. No. Please. Not like Mother and Father._

Her muscles tensed as she pulled at the hammer once more as the wolf leapt into the air.

 _Please._

The hammer shifted oh so slightly and the lightning came with it…

* * *

 _She'd woken up in some strange village or at least in their fields with her hands clutched tightly around a small workman's hammer._

 _People said she'd flown there. People said the lightning brought her._

 _She didn't know; still didn't to this day how she'd made it there. All that mattered now was that was where she met Ren._

* * *

"Your hair's weird." Ren said, tilting his head slightly.

"Well… Your face is weird!" Nora shouted back. Ren smiled slightly.

"Papa said you could stay with us. Said it was our ree-spun-sub-illy to do so as leaders." The little boy nodded even as he stumbled over the words.

"I wanna go home. I want my Mother and Father." Nora shrunk back under her sheets as her tone sank.

"You don't like it here?" Ren asked, oddly insulted by the question.

"Just wanna go home…" She grumbled again.

* * *

 _She didn't remember saying anything else. She did remember that he stayed with her that whole time for as long as he could._

 _Ren's father was always pulling him away for stupid things. Always interrupted them when they were playing or when they'd found a good story book. He was always trying to change Ren in so many ways._

 _It was about a year after that Ren changed…_

* * *

He's walked in, fully cloaked in his new clothes. The dark look didn't really suit him but it was 'tradition,' or so he'd told her.

"Hey, Nora." No hug this time. Not like before…

"Hey, Ren!" She leapt up off her bed. Her own energy was crackling through her as she got close.

An awkward pause drifted through the room as the two stood slightly apart.

"I've been chosen."

"For what? Like a prize?" She smiled broadly. "Like cake? Are you gonna share?"

Ren shook his head even as he took a step back towards the door. "I'm not gonna be around as much. Dad's gonna want me training as much as I can."

"But…" Nora felt her heart sink in her chest. "What about story time? We'll still read together, right?"

He said nothing as he walked away.

A scream of tears tore their way out of Nora's throat even as the low rumble of a thunderstorm threatened to roll in.

* * *

 _She'd thought him cruel at the time. How could he just abandon her like that?_

 _She'd only found out the truth later._

* * *

"What?!" She'd roared, smalling her fist down on the table.

"I would ask that you leave Ren alone. I have no problem with you staying in the village but he needs the isolation now." His father had said, sitting behind a small desk.

The thunder started to rumble outside. "But why? Why let us be friends only to rip it away?"

"You think me heartless, Nora?" The man responded. "It is the way it has been done for generations. There is no discussion here. It will happen one way or another. I had thought I had made it clear when Ren came out of the house with tears in his eyes."

She slammed her fists down on the table.

The lightning slammed straight through the wall.

* * *

 _She hadn't talked with Ren's father much after that. In fact, they'd only chatted once when…_

 _No. Not now. Enough of the bad memories already._

 _She held the hammer close and remembered what it was like to fly that first time._

* * *

All in all, it could have ended far worse.

She'd been throwing her hammer up in the air a few times, catching the heavy weight as it slammed into her palm.

It was only the one time she forgot to let go.

She flung herself high in the air never once letting go of the metal implement in her hand. The air rushed through her hair as she could hear herself screaming in joy all the way up.

The apex of her climb granted her a quick view of the world around her. She could see the entire village, her home, and she could even see the mountains that hid them from the rest of the world.

The way down was slower but no less exhilarating for the young girl. The gentle breeze wrapped itself around her to keep her safe until her feet danced gently against the floor.

She had to do that again.

* * *

 _And she did. Many, many times._

 _She patted the hammer on her lap as if it were a loyal pet resting. The firm steel had changed a great deal these last few years, even shifting to allow another weapon to spring forth from it._

 _It was hers. More than anything else in the world, her last name or Ren or her fighting style, the hammer belonged to her and her alone._

 _That was enough for now._

 _For now._

* * *

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	19. Chapter 17

" _How do Hunters and Huntresses know when they are needed? There are many ways that will vary across the different kingdoms. For example, Atlas now deploys Hunters along the military forces in a strict mission based structure. Hunters get sent to a combat zone where Grimm are, they Hunt and they return to base._

 _Simple. Efficient. Utterly cold, much like Atlas._

 _For you see, while the Hunters and Huntresses have access to the infrastructure that the Atlas military can provide, they have absolutely no say over where they go. They might hear later, in their off duty hours or as they patrol a border town, how another village suffered a massive horde of Gojira or how a Ursa Magna battered through the streets. It is the military side of things that dictates Huntsman movement and the regular people of Atlas inevitably suffer for it._

 _On the opposite end of the scale, Vacuo really doesn't have any control over the Huntsmen in it's kingdom. For those who've visited the Vacuoan capital, this becomes easy to see why. In some ways, this means that Hunters and Huntresses will naturally gravitate towards areas where high levels of Grimm are found. Either through pay or coercion, many smaller villages near Oasis manage to lure in Huntsmen for a stay or even a permanent position to use the village as a base for future activities. Of course, this just leaves the non-Hunting members of Vacuo simply at the whims of whatever Hunter or Huntress happens to be living in their town that week._

 _I found myself frustrated at these seemingly broken systems as I wandered into a bar in Vacuo and ordered myself a small bottle of something strong. The heat was no excuse not to enjoy the local flavour._

 _A waitress of that very thing gently walked over to my table and slammed the bottle before sitting down across from me. A curious expression crossed her face._

" _Ain't many that order that drink on a day like today." She said, casually rubbing her nails against her knot-buttoned vest._

" _Today's the only day for it." I shrugged back. "To the Four Winds." I raised my glass in the air and managed to take a sip of the bitter liquid inside before she glared at me. Allow me to tell you, the low pulsing Aura that intensified in her eyes only served to heighten the piercing nature of her glare._

" _Tatar." She growled my name as a curse. I suppose that was fair. After all, her compatriots had done the same. Not for long though._

" _Notu." I nodded my head. "How long has it been?"_

" _Don't you dare." She whispered angrily. She looked around at the empty surroundings before turning back to face me. "You paid them off?"_

" _Oh no." I protested. "This bar isn't that popular at the best of times. I simply picked the slowest time of day." My smile slowly spread across my face as I took another sip. It was an excellent example of Oasis Spikewater, if I recall correctly._

" _Why are you here? I have a life here now." She sat down, the glare in her eyes dying down with her Aura._

" _Exactly." I placed my glass straight down on the table before placing my hands together. "You abandoned your Duty, you and the others."_

" _You're no Hunter." She scoffed even as the sweat ran down her head. "You don't have the-"_

 _I waved the back of my hand towards her, letting her see the iron plate there before smiling a little once again. "Oh, I do. But you're right. I'm naught but a humble wanderer. I'd much rather see another warrior on the field."_

" _The Four Winds were my team, Tatar. No one else."_

" _Then remake them!" My enthusiasm for the exploits of the original group was no secret to her nor was my unhappiness at the long standing groups' eventual collapse. "My word, why must everyone of you dwell entirely in the past?"_

" _It happened once. It will happen again."_

" _You're not quite that dumb." I finished my drink with a flourishing gasp of appreciation. "Close but not quite." My boots creaked against the old wooden floor as I walked to the door. "Your choice. The Four Winds return or they stay dead for good."_

 _I left the threat instead of any coinage. Not more than a day later, I caught her activating some poor fool's Aura._

 _Good, I thought. About time."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

The cool wind glided past the tromping party of warriors as the crunching of leaves underfoot provided music for their march. As the mountains finally let the sun shine past them, a great steel edifice stood clear against the rocky backdrop.

 _Woah…_ Jaune thought as his eyes scanned the building.

He found his eyes drawn to the great steel gates that were hammered into the very base of the looming mountain. Etched across the steel frame were tendrils of an orange too vibrant to be paint. Even from where Jaune stood, he could see the faint gentle pulses ripple across the wires almost like a heartbeat. Around the edges hung the many masks of the Nameless: blank featureless faces stared down at anyone who passed through their door. Another glance over showed some rusting around the hinges even as the actual metal of the door was pristine in comparison.

As his eyes drifted, the sound of a clawing of Ursa roaring met his ears with a distant roar. The numbers were too vast to count at this distance but that roar hadn't been the work of just one beast. The courtyard was decorated in the same orange tendrils that decorated the doors as both man and beast stood against one another, shoulder to shoulder, in near total silence. It was only the occasional roar or guttural shout that broke the illusion of peace.

The last sight for Jaune jutted out of the mountain much a spike rips through a chest. A mighty spire pumped a dark smoke into the air as its deep red brickwork stood out against the rocky backdrop. A building stretched out from the base of the tower with the glass showing only darkness inside. The vines of orange were present there as well but instead of pulsing like they had before, these simply glowed like light bulbs.

"This is new." Jaune said, pointing at the gates. "Didn't the intel show a hollow tunnel?"

"It did. Perhaps he has simply decided to step up security." Ren said, his posture deceptively casual.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune turned to face his partner. "Any ideas?"

"We need more information." She replied. "They haven't spotted us yet so now's the ideal time for some more recon." She looked over at the large factory tower. "I'll see what I can get from there."

"I can scout a little closer and see about those beasts." Ren nodded towards the horde of Grimm that were still dreamily standing still.

"I'll go aerial. Look for weak points and junk." Nora readied her hammer.

"Right. Meet back here. If any of you aren't back in an hour, I'll dash in and then you'll all have to save my sorry butt." Jaune laughed slightly as a knot of tension slightly unraveled itself in his stomach.

The others smiled at him before nodding a final time and dashing off to their tasks. Pyrrha stalked easily closer to the large building as Nora tossed her hammer and herself straight up to the sky with a mighty leap. As for Ren…

 _Where'd he go? He can't have hidden already…_

Jaune turned his eyes back to the mountain fortress. A second glance showed off a small balcony viewpoint covered in glass windows. The gleam of the polished material was visible even from Jaune's viewpoint. He stared more intently at it before-

A freight train of emotions hit him right in the chest. Fear, worry, pride, happiness, misery and several he couldn't put a name to all overwhelmed his senses as he desperately tried to rein them in.

 _Focus on the mantra, focus on the mantra, 'We stand as sword and shield-'_

He bit down hard on his lip to keep the scream of tearing itself from his lips. As he curled into the ground and as his knees buckled beneath him, Jaune could only manage to gasp for air.

Just as quickly and bizarrely as it had happened, the rush of emotions vanished and Jaune took a great breath. He stabbed his sword rapidly into the ground and lent against the flat of the blade as he quickly recovered his breath.

 _Felt like… someone tearing out my emotions with a wrench. What the hell is going on here?_

* * *

The shadows wrapped around Ren like a second skin as he stalked ever closer to the grand courtyard. The rows and rows of beasts and men stood still as statues even as he felt a rumble come from the mountains. As he stretched his Aura out carefully, as if he were putting his hands near a roaring blaze, he felt…

 _What is that?_ His analytical mind provided.

His Aura clashed gently up against something that felt human but somehow rough around the edges. If he shifted his perception slightly, it would almost feel like an Ursa. That same abyssal absence of life, of Aura, was unmistakable. But the two signatures were intertwined so tightly. Ren kept a tight lid on his emotions as he felt one of the beasts closer to his position stir gently. He slid quietly closer before his senses went seemingly mad.

In front of him was a grotesquery of blatantly unnatural manipulation. Even as his eyes saw it or his nose smelt the rank stench of it or even feel its' Aura again, Ren almost could not believe it could exist. At the centre of this monstrous thing was a obvious human head and torso embedded deep in the inky black mass that was once an Alpha Ursa. The two were stitched together by a tight row of glowing orange staples even as the familiar bony mask of Grimm had started to coat the man's agonised face.

His eyes screamed what his mouth could no longer.

Ren scanned across the courtyard once more for any other signs of the complete wrongness in front of him before he wrapped the shadows around him once again and stalked back to Jaune.

* * *

Pyrrha merely sat down on a hill nearby and opened her soul to the rich music.

 _A tumbling chorus of steel formed the lowest sounds in front of her as the symphony began. She could hear, faintly, a twinkling of the alloy that she'd put into Jaune's shield as she focused on the first movement of the metal._

 _It sang to her in the same glorious sounds that it always did. With the low steel beat, Pyrrha quickly turned her attention to the bass rumblings that had to be iron in the tower. The twisting trills of notes told her their positions all the way through the concrete base before resting at the top._

 _The symphony progressed deeper. Past the low rumbles and beats of the other metals, the faint pulses of brass caught her ear even as the familiar metals added their parts to the rich metal symphony. Steel swords and axes all played a familiar tune to separate themselves from the harmony of the other metals._

 _With a flicker of focus, the movement changed. No longer did the steel sing or iron blow but the rich soprano of gold now took the melody. A smaller sound by far than the rest of the orchestra but a significant instrument to hear. Another flicker and small twinklings of silicon danced through her as they provided a wave of sound to add to the new movement. Titanium bellowed in with a well known accompaniment of structure and rigidity to an object's frame. There were absences in the chorus, non-metals that could not be heard over the canon of steel, even as Pyrrha discerned the shape of the object through these pauses and rests._

 _A third movement brought with it disharmony. A new note or was it an instrument? A new metal whose music she had not had the chance to tune and add to her repertoire. Not an absence nor steel or gold had this texture. The disharmony grew as she extended her senses around the object, hearing the perversion of her symphony rise to a fortissimo._

 _As the final notes faded down, Pyrrha opened her eyes_ and began a slow walk back to Jaune.

 _A new metal. A giant of so many different materials. What has Outis been experimenting with here while we trained?_

* * *

Her leap took her straight up in line with mountains as he saw snow gently melting at their peaks. From the high viewpoint, Nora's eyes strained to see the dots of movement while she surveyed the layout of the fortress.

 _The factory's about as large as should be but what's that holding area?_

She let her tight wrapping of wind loosen slightly. Her hair flew up around her during the sudden descent just as her eyes widened.

 _Powered armor- wait, no. It's a mecha! They actually built something from a kid's cartoon!_

Even from her great height, Nora could see the massive arms loaded with weaponry and the shiny glass cockpit gleaming in the sun. As she dared sink closer to it, the faint discolouration of the metal came into view. Despite the rest of it being seemingly pristine and in top condition, a faint bluish tinge danced across the outer layer.

A faint heat drew Nora's attention before it became a roaring flame. An easy pivot took her out of the way while she frantically looked around for the source. Her head turned just in time while her eyes widened once more.

 _That's bad. That's very bad. Oh boop!_

Nora's thoughts were a clear understatement. As she wrapped the wind around her like a blanket once more, she could see a single figure standing at the window of the balcony. He held a single radio in his hand as he began to whisper something into it.

Outis smiled. He placed the radio gently on the table and began flexing his muscles. A blinding white light swirled around him as he fired another blast.

 _Dodge! Move! Don't let the fireball hit you!_

A series of aerial acrobatics followed. The blasts would come close to hitting before Nora would suddenly dip closer to the ground. The occasional spin sent some of the scorching blasts off course before Nora tumbled straight down into the forest.

An elegant thumping sound tore through the wood. A moment later, Nora took off back to Jaune.

* * *

"We got any food left?" Jaune sat down on the ground, weakly holding his sword.

"Some of the meat from yesterday. Here." Ren handed the strips over as Jaune devoured them whole heartedly. "What happened to you?"

"Don't know." Jaune bit out as he chomped on his meal. "Felt like being punched in the brain. All these emotions just-" He swallowed and sighed. "What'd you guys find?"

They each took a turn relating back what they'd found to the others.

"That's crazy!" Nora shouted out from across the fire. "What sort of lunatic does that?"

"We knew he was insane, Nora." Ren shook his head. "It just felt… wrong."

"He's amassing an army here." Pyrrha tried to remain calm. "I felt more than half a thousand swords and axes in that base and that didn't count the-" She paused. "Things that Ren mentioned. We can't do this on our own. Especially now that he knows we're coming."

"What else can we do?" Jaune said, his tone grim. "We've come all this way and now we're gonna give up? We just need to change our plan slightly."

"Slightly?!" Pyrrha's nerves got the better of her. "Jaune, we didn't really have a plan to start with. If it was just warriors or henchmen at the gates, it might be a different issue. But we can't just run in and hope for the best!"

"He's right though." Nora smiled gently. "We do need to do something here. If we wait, Outis'll mobilise and we'll be crushed somewhere else. Better to try something, surely!"

"We need to get to the radio Nora saw." Ren's flat tone echoed through the group. "If we can do that, and then hold out against the hordes of enemies, then we stand a chance."

"What about the armor?" Nora asked. "Pyrrha, do you think you could… "

"No." The redhead replied. "It's been altered somehow. I can feel it but I can't do more than that." She turned to Jaune. "You gonna be alright?"

Jaune closed his eyes as he finished the last of his meal. A flurry of thoughts flickered through his mind as plans danced in and out. Possibilities were discarded as rapidly as they formed before he opened his shocking blue eyes and looked each member of his team in the eye.

"Okay." His voice was resolute. He turned to Pyrrha. "How much metal can you… do your thing with at once?"

She turned away from him. "Jaune…"

"Now isn't the time." Jaune softened his tone as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know. It sucks. But right now we need every single point of attack we can. How many?" He patted her gently even as she turned back. A new fire burned in her eyes as she nodded back.

"I can rip the metal out of their hands. All of them." Her stare easily matched the intensity of the flames. "I won't be able to do much with the armor and there's no way they don't use it."

"That's where Nora comes in." Jaune smiled at the brawny amazon. "How much lightning you got in you?"

"Enough for a thunderstorm like back when we first met." Nora grinned wolfishly back.

"Good. We'll need you to take out any armor you can see with those bolts. Ren, you're gonna be crowd control against those things you mentioned. How many would you say there were again?"

"No more than about three. At least, that's what I managed to sense." Ren replied. "Jaune, you can't just waltz into the middle of the base as we wage war outside."

"I'm gonna go in as a prisoner."

The protests quickly filled his ears. "How else am I getting in?" He snapped back before sighing in strain. "We have no other options to use. Even if Nora could batter her way through those gates or Pyrrha could rip them off the hinges, we can't fight past the people in there. If I go in as a hostage, we at least stand a chance of getting some back up. We keep Outis off of you guys and on me."

"And if backup doesn't come?" Pyrrha said.

"We have to trust in the Professor." Jaune said back. "I'll give a signal of some sort when I've accessed the radio. That way, we at least have a rough idea of when support is coming." He sighed heavily. "We'd best get to bed. I'll take last watch."

With that final statement, no-one wanted to much challenge the Arc as he stalked over to the makeshift tent he had and collapsed into a deep sleep.

"I'll go first." Ren said. "I need time to think anyway." He smiled at the two of them as they walked and, in Nora's case, dashed straight for the tent.

He sat down near the fire, letting the slowly dying flames warm him. He flicked out his machine pistols before letting his eyes roam over the mountain landscape.

* * *

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	20. Interlude - Guardian

The lotus position again, _Ren thought to himself._ Yes, to centre myself before the battle.

 _He sat down on the cool ground and folded his body into the comforting pose. His hands placed gently in his lap, he took a deep breath and focused on his mantra._

"We are the darkness from which the first blow is struck. Where others hide, we will strike. The endless years mean nothing to our vigil in the shadows. By this oath, I free your soul…"

 _Another deep breath and he whispered it again. It had been so many years since he'd heard it first. He'd wandered into Nora's room half in a daze…_

* * *

A slow, staggering step took Ren across the threshold. His arms hung limply at his sides as Nora beamed back at him with her smile. His new battle gear, a "ceremonial gift" from his father, clung to his young frame.

"Hey Nora." He slurred out.

"Hey Ren!" Her boundless energy seemed to drain his own as his legs started to buckle slightly.

 _That drink Dad gave me… She needs to know._

"I've been chosen." He blurted out.

"For what?" She said back. "Like a prize?"

 _No. The opposite, really._ Ren closed his eyes as Nora carried on oblivious.

"Like cake? Are you gonna share?"

Ren stared at those expressive blue eyes and at the expanses of optimism and enthusiasm she had.

 _I can't. She'd want to come along and help. I can't put that on her._

He shook his head and stepped away, not daring to meet her eyes again. "I'm not gonna be around as much. Dad's gonna want me training as much as I can." _In every possible way._

"But what about story time?" She asked. "We're still gonna read together, right?"

The breath Ren strained for barely filled his lungs. He struggled to take another even as he walked out of the door.

 _It's not fair. She shouldn't…_

The faint trickling of tears met his ears. His own joined them soon after.

* * *

 _Dad hadn't relented even in the face of his pain, Ren remembered. The endless physical trials along with the meditations had taken up every available hour of sunlight._

 _This had carried on for an age before that night…_

* * *

"Dad?" He asked.

"Follow me, son." The taller man turned, never stopping for a moment, his longer strides forcing Ren to sprint to keep up.

The two took a long, circuitous path into the mountain that loomed over the village. A twisting labyrinth of stone, lit dimly with barely flickering torches, eventually gave way to a giant chamber of glassy black rock.

 _The hell is that?!_ Ren's thoughts screamed at the huge statue that dominated the room. A great fanged demon of sorts stood crouched, ready to pounce on the poor boy as its' emerald eyes glinted in the fire light.

There was no one else to see it. Only him and his father in the giant cavern. Alone.

His dad walked over to the massive statue and placed a single hand on a tooth. A click snapped through the room as a single herb fell into the larger man's hand.

"Son." His dad said to him. "I need you to be brave. I can't help you with your last task. Just know that I am so proud of you for what you have done."

He handed Ren the strange plant and spoke out as if to a great crowd. "We stand before the mighty guardians of our village from centuries past. The root, aged for the new champion's lifetime, has been passed on. Should he take up the mantle, may it grant him strength. Should he decline, may it leave him freely."

A glint much like the eyes of the beast appeared in his father's eye. "Eat the root, champion." The fires started to dim in time with his father's voice. "Eat the root and receive the mantle." A single encouraging glance was all that Ren had before Dad vanished back into the stone passage.

Left alone in the room, Ren took the only option he seemed to have. With his father knowing the only way in, Ren decided to take the plunge and eat the root.

 _Pleh! Bitter!._ His young mind provided. His teeth ground hard down, the juices almost forcing Ren to spit it out. _Why would Dad want me to eat this? Is it medicine? Punishment? Wha-_

"It is better than either." An old man appeared in his vision, tapping a stick to the ground. "And worse, I suppose."

Ren's eyes widened as he dropped into a low stance. "How did you-"

"Get in here? I've always been here, Lie Ren." The old man smiled indulgently. "Now, your father hasn't told you what is going to happen, has he?"

Ren stayed in his low pose, keeping his guard up. "No. But he wouldn't do anything to hurt me!"

"Ah, the conviction of youth. How I miss it." The same smile stayed on the old man's face even as he shook his head. "Your father has faith, which is more than I had. Ah well, my boy. I wish you the best. Do try and fight it, eh?"

"Fight what?!" Ren cried out as the old man just vanished. No light show, no effects; just faded simply into the stone as if he was stone himself.

 _Okay…_ Ren thought, his breath quickening. _Remember the exercises. The mantra. "We are the-"_

"Why, Ren?"

 _No. No, not her._

His eyes flashed open as Nora's bleeding form lay in front of him. Her arm was twisted at some appalling angle as patches of deep purple blossomed all over her exposed skin.

"Why?" She coughed out.

 _No, please._ "Help!" He cried to the cave. "Help! Dad, it's Nora!" He cried out again only receiving his echo as a response.

The wounds worsened. Her arm shattered again as she screamed in pain. The bruises spread further and further before blood dripped down from her head to the cavern floor.

"Why… weren't you there?"

 _What?_ "What? Nora, I've always been-"

She shouted back in pain. "You weren't! We promised Ren! Always there, no matter where! You remember that!?"

They'd been so much younger when they'd made that stupid promise. She'd only been in the village for a month and yet…

 _And yet, I couldn't stop seeing her. She stayed with us not soon after Father caught me sneaking bread to her in the market._

"I'm here now. Come on, don't do this…" He whispered back, holding her close.

"I'm so tired, Ren." She whispered back. Her hair, bloodied as it was, draped over one eye as she continued. "I just want to go home."

"We can!" He said panicking. "Just stay awake! I'll take you home, just please hold on…"

"I'm sorry, Ren. You just couldn't save me…" The last words dies on her lips in a gasp as Nora's body stilled completely.

 _No. No. NO. NONONONO-_

He didn't know when he stopped thinking and began shouting. "NO!" He raged, slamming his fists against the statue. "Why her! She did nothing! She was innocent!"

 _The fangs!_ Ren thought in a wild flash of inspiration. _Maybe, just maybe, please…_

He grabbed the other unbroken tooth and pulled at it with all his small body could manage. "Please, please…"

"Stop." The word rang out in his mind by skipping past his ears. "Do you wish to save your partner there?"

"Yes! Please, you've got to help!" Ren frantically turned around, searching for the source of the speech.

"There will be a price, little one. Not one that can be given back. Are you still so certain she is worth it?" The words resonated deep within his chest as Ren closed his eyes for one last time.

 _Yes._ The words were pure, innocent truth. _Yes, of course she is! It's Nora!_

"Yes!" He shouted back to the voice, his high voice echoing around the cavern. "I'll do it, whatever needs to be done!"

The room darkened instantly as the flames vanished from the room. Ren strained his eyes and ears to find some flicker of the person who'd agreed to help.

The claws dug deep in his back without warning as a snarl breathed past his ear. "You are mine, little one. You walk my path now and none turn off of it until they walk no more." The teeth grazed up against Ren's quivering frame as the snarls continued. "You wished to help your friend?" A grating laugh, like grit being shaken by an earthquake, ripped through the cavern.

"You will stand alongside her now."

The teeth tore into Ren's neck, causing the boy to scream in agony.

As the screaming continued, he felt his body being shaken by the infinite strength of the beast behind him.

"Ren!" It snarled.

"Ren!" The voice shifted slightly, softening.

"Ren! Wake up!" The voice morphed abruptly.

His father was now speaking to him, kneeling alongside the poor boy. "Ren! Oh thank the guardians!" He took the boy into a bear hug.

Ren just wrapped his arms around Father and began to let his tears roll down his face.

* * *

 _He'd been eleven then. Even from then, he'd known that Nora was worth any price._

 _Ren smiled a little to himself as he took another breath in._

 _He'd not seen much of her after that night. For nearly two years, brief glimpses in the town or the occasional planted letter were all the contact he'd have with her. Until the day he'd gone to his father to demand why..._

* * *

"You dare?!" Dad had snapped back. "I keep you safe from her an-"

"Safe? We're friends, Dad! Nora would never hurt me! What gave you-"

"Why did you scream her name at the ritual then?" Dad shouted back. "All I saw was your tiny body convulse and writhe in pain as you screamed out her name! Each twitch, a new cry! What did you see?"

A horn blew off in the distance. A trilling barrage of notes forced both boy and man to relexively drop their argument.

"We'll carry this on later." A man dashed through the door, slamming past Ren and gasping in breath. "Report, scout?"

"Grimm Horde, sir." The man gasped out. "There's a madman at the gates who threatens to let them in."

Dad nodded. "Ren, stay here." Dad walked out, his heavy boots hitting the wooden floor in a rhythm of thumps.

Ren naturally didn't stay in for long. Using the shadows as his allies in his breakout, he managed to follow his father all the way up to a small white jacketed man.

The man in the white jacket simply grabbed his father with his glowing orange hands.

Father hit the ground soon after. As did everyone else in the village.

* * *

 _Enough, he thought to himself. No more of this. The horde overran the village and Nora had flown them both out with her hammer. Simple fact. Leave the emotions for some other time. Maybe talk with Nora..._

 _Thirteen years old and all they had was each other._

 _Three long years had passed since then. Their relationship was nothing like the shy flinching courting of his new allies. Good people, he thought, but how can they not just admit their feelings to one another?_

 _Nora had. She'd said they were friends. At least, she'd said it to so many other people. Ren knew better than to argue with Nora. The hammer hurt._

 _Another breath._

 _Another._

 _Another._

* * *

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	21. Chapter 18

" _While the Hunting Lodges manage any potential Grimm threats in the Kingdoms, there have been several long standing groups that operate outside of those structures. Seeing the registration and paperwork of Hunting in the kingdoms as a detriment, they cut themselves off and seek out the Outlier Regions to set up their own operations. Each kingdom generally tries to absorb or discreetly deal with these groups before they gather enough power to become a proper threat (Or worse, start thinking about increasing their numbers the easy way.) I'd encountered a few on my travels:_

 _ **Hailing**_ _from the new island of Menagerie, the **Midnight Claw** seek to protect their new homeland and hunt whatever threats are needed. Some have suggested that they hold ties with the White Fang, the new pro-Faunus group that sprung up there, but most of Menagerie see them as completely separate. An interesting point to note is that, despite Menagerie not being a kingdom, the Midnight Claw is still considered an outsider group and not an official Hunting Lodge. That privilege, it would seem, is reserved for the kingdoms alone. _

_**A**_ _long standing group that has somehow managed to survive for at least a century, the **Iron Guard of Vale** endure in at the edges of the kingdom. An exclusively defensive group, they guard against any Grimm attack that threatens a village under their control but never actively go Hunting in the forests or mountains of the kingdom. They build as well as protect, taking engineers into their fold to construct defenses and walls for the smaller villages. Quite possibly the largest of the outsider groups, it has played a key role in Vale's history despite not officially being a part of the official defensive or Hunting structures. By the time they were large enough, they'd proven themselves too invaluable to try and remove._

 _ **The** __**Four Winds**. If you've read the Vacuo book in the Marvels of Remnant series, you are probably aware that I grew up with stories of these mighty desert fighters. Crews of Hunters and Huntresses going on mighty treks to hunt the beasts filled my childhood nights with dreams of following in their footsteps. Alas, it was not to last. (Read 'Marvels of Remnant - Vacuo' for more information.) But they still hold a place in the Vacuoian mindset. Their free nature and casual approach to Hunting made them living legends in their prime. The group survived by replacing the leaders after one fell in battle from their crews, thus establishing a clear line of succession before things got out of control. Recently however, the group fell completely off the radar. Most, including myself, eagerly await their return. _

_**The**_ _Atlesian Military has spent more man hours than it cares to admit on catching **Frostbite**. From what information I have been able to gather on this mysterious group, they barely number in the double digits. But their mercenary attitude to Hunting, along with certain additional activities that have managed to infuriate several military companies, has made them a surprising hit amongst the people of Atlas. There were ideas tossed around about comics or, most worringly of all for the now public image conscious Atlas, a movie with Frostbite in some leading role. No word has yet come out as to the status of these projects." _

_Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - the Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

 _Well, no-one can accuse me of "leading from the back"._

Jaune batted away the awkward swing of an axe just before a hail of bullets clanged against his shield. An easy slash of his sword carved the blank masked man's chest to ribbons as Jaune battered his way closer to the steel gateway and the glass balcony that dominated the mountain above it.

 _Little further. Just gotta keep going._

A small scratch dug into his arm even as he whirled round, hacking wildly at the many opponents he now found himself surrounded by. The sea of white masks seemed to have no end as the many weapons glinted and jutted out of the crowd.

 _Step one complete! Now to survive step two._

"Hello! Outis!" He called above the din. "Come on, you coward! Let's see how 'Mother' likes you when I crack your face open!" The slight hint of nerves was easily concealed by the steel hammering against his armor and shield.

Nothing happened. The army continued to surge in and pressure Jaune as he ducked, dived and bashed his way through the blank faced horde.

 _Okay… That's bad._

Another light scratch across his arm brought a roar to the battlefield as Jaune pulled out his pistol. An elegant series of precise shots were joined with a frankly brutal barrage of kicks, punches and stomps with his heavy steel boots. Bones shattered and the screaming began to shift from "bloodlust" to "blood loss" in a matter of seconds.

Another cut managed to find it's way through the gaps in his armor. The resounding blows and echoing sounds surrounded Jaune much as the sea of bodies did.

 _Man, I hope this works…_

He felt the same rush of emotions he had back at the base. That same feeling, deeper than his body, rushed through him and out into the world.

The world began to burn.

The stench of charred flesh forced itself into Jaune's nostrils as the screams intensified. The thumps of metal against his armor abruptly stopped. The heat took its place. The raw surging flames wrapped around him like a sheet of needles before he eventually cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground.

A rumble from the ground forced Jaune to his feet clutching his arm. Holstering his pistol, he looked straight ahead and saw the looming form of an Ursa monstrosity. The frozen face of a terrified young woman stared back out from the chest even as the white bone mask covered her face like a funeral shroud.

 _Alright then. Just gotta burn myself again._

Another surge of that deep emotion and Jaune flung that same white fiery heat straight at the glass window, shattering it as glinting snowflakes tumbled to the ground. "Come on! I'm getting bored here! Can't fight your own battles?! Mother must be so ashamed!" A mad laugh, borne more out of pain than actual taunting, ripped through Jaune's mouth as he drew his sword. As he did so, he could see off in the distance more random minions rushing up to meet the white clad warrior.

The grotesquery in front of him roared. Jaune roared back.

A slash of claws began the fight anew as they ripped through the air. Jaune raised his shield only to find himself flung through the air.

 _Damn._

Righting himself Jaune stabbed his sword into the ground as he slammed his boots down, carving a trench of dirt as he launched himself back towards the grizzly menace.

Another mighty swing of claws forced Jaune down to the ground before Jaune stabbed straight into the chest of the beast. The sword sunk in deep but even as he pulled the sword out, the wound easily started to close. The black wires of muscles stitched across the opening as another roar echoed between them.

The beast body slammed straight down trying to crush Jaune into the dirt. His reflexes working exceptionally quickly, Jaune dropped his sword and grabbed the ebony fur and heaved.

A surge of strength ripped through him as the beast just wrestled around him arms. Lifting the beast above his heads, he threw it straight at the gate.

The blinding surge of orange light disintegrated the abomination. As the last sinews of muscle and bone dropped to the ground, a faint scream of pain whispered through the battlefield.

A ping of rifle fire hit Jaune in the hip before he grunted in pain. He dashed over to his sword and held his shield high as more bullets pinged off the shield.

 _Gotta step it up. Those morons in the masks are gonna get over here eventually._

At that moment, the metaphorical light bulb sprung to life over Jaune's head.

 _Pyrrha's gonna kill me._

Smashing the two parts of Crocea Mors together and shouting a challenge to the hordes of brutes coming towards him, Jaune charged the horde.

The effect was immediate. The gunfire now tore through the flimsy armor as holes began to appear in the once thick clumps of warriors. Leaping straight through, he slammed the chaotic masses of humans and slashed out at any piece of humanity he could.

Blood splattered around him. The once white armor he wore now dripped eagerly with red as Jaune felt his Aura pump through his muscles.

A faint whirring of metal in the distance caught Jaune's attention. A great rumble surged through the ground as Jaune continued his assault.

 _Come on, you madman. Take the bait. There's gotta be something…_

"Your 'shiny!'" He shouted into the air. "You honestly think that she'll let you keep it after this?"

The same rumble again. As Jaune kept dodging, he turned his attention towards it.

It was massive. The steel frame was covered in weapons from a long blade to a ridiculous number of guns and artillery placements. The large fanned feet stomped into the ground as it marched directly towards him. If he focused his eyesight, Jaune could just about make out a pilot sitting in the middle.

Worse, there were two of them. A blast of rockets sent both suits of armor flying before they slammed down faster than Jaune could move. A single moment passed as Jaune frantically searched for any opening the two mechanical monoliths didn't have covered with some weapon or other.

 _Okay. I can do this. Just have to try and use that Aura blast aga-_

He collapsed on the floor, his chest clenched in extreme pain. He let out a murderous scream. He could only look up at the gentle slowly floating form above him.

"How'd you like my toys?" A voice roared as a low thump landed next to Jaune's head. "Little design I managed to get from Atlas." The boot bashed in. "You've never been there, have you?" Outis sneered. "You've never even left this little kingdom. I might have to change that…" Dimly, Jaune could see him gesture to two minions and felt his body being lifted from the floor before he let the darkness fully take over.

 _A cage. The headlock his sister once put him in. The chamber he'd changed in. A-_

* * *

Jaune gasped awake before having to flinch his eyes closed. The bright light shining right in his eyes merely added to the general discomfort at the scene in front of him.

The grand window gave a wide view of the surrounding view of the countryside. Small villages dotted around the horizon as the vast stretches of Valian forests covered the areas in between. As Jaune gasped another breath, the smell of wet iron and fresh paint swirled into his senses. The dripping noise came to his ears even as he heard the faint strokes of brush against canvas.

 _Uh, the hell? Who's painting?_

A groan tumbled out, alerting Jaune to movement behind him. "Ah!" Went the now familiar voice. "You're awake." Outis stalked around into view. "Oh, where are my manners." A vague gesture to the window and blinds descended down blocking out the light. The dim lights flickered on and Outis walked around.

"I do love to paint when I can." Outis said, sitting down in a distinctly more comfortable chair than the one Jaune found himself in. "It is a rare pleasure for me to enjoy a landscape before burning it. I suppose I have that to thank you for."

Jaune clenched his fists, grasping for any Aura he had. "Ah ah ah!" Outis said. "None of that now. Honestly, you Hunters, so reliant on your Aura. I'd thought you better than that." He laughed gently. His eye twitched slightly before he lunged at the imprisoned Arc.

"Tell me." Outis snarled. "What did it feel like, hm? When they shoved you in that little box and pulled a better man out? Tell me." His hand grabbed a finger and pulled.

The resulting snap echoed around the room.

Jaune bit his tongue and simply glared at the man across from him.

"Oh? Not gonna cry out for someone? But you were so talkative earlier." Another snapping sound. "Tell me what it was like. Answer me!" The guttural shouting boomed.

"I felt powerful!" Jaune admitted. "I'd been beaten and broken and weak for so long and I just felt invincible." He stared, shaking in equal parts anger and pain, at Outis. "But at least I didn't have to steal it. I earned this." He spat out.

Another eye twitch. "Well, you're honest." The voice calmed down and took an elegant note. "I do miss actual conversation these days. Mother sent me here with only these… manufactured buffoons to help. Even with the Ursa…" He sighed. "Where are your friends? Like the girl with the hammer? I suspected she might know you..."

Jaune's eyes widened. "I'll never tell you."

"Oh, I suspect you will." Outis replied, touching his chest. A faint orange glow passed over his hand before he placed it straight onto Jaune's chest. "See, we're more alike than you'd care to admit. I'm just going to show you how similar we really are."

The orange glow flooded into Jaune and-

 ** _(FAMILIAR. ALIKE. KINDRED.)_** A barrage of imagery and stimuli flooded through Jaune as he shook violently in his seat.

As quickly as it had come on, the scenes faded away. "Yes, it's not pleasant is it?" The mocking tone of Outis spoke up. "Once it sets in though, it's a much more enjoyable experience."

"What-" Jaune heaved, feeling his stomach convulse. "What did you do?"

"I used my Shiny!" His eyes twitched in unison this time as he pulled out a glowing orange gem hung on a necklace. "It's so pretty!"

 _Oh this isn't good._ Jaune thought as he stared at the madman.

"It does so many things too!" Another eye twitch and then a burst of laughter. "You actually got me monologuing!"

"What." Jaune replied.

"You know, like in those old comic books? The villain has the hero at their mercy and all that? I can't believe I actually started doing it." Outis shook his head. "Ah well, it won't matter soon. Let's continue."

His hand glowed again and-

 ** _(UNITY. COMMUNION. BELONGING.)_**

Jaune gasped heavily again. "W-why…"

"Why?" The madman asked. "Because I hate to throw away a good resource! You know how rare someone like you is? Who actually survived that old crazy man's experiment? I could count you all on one hand and have fingers left over!" He laughed again.

"Liar." Jaune bit out. "Not… true."

"Awwww, did you think you were special? That out of everyone on this entire planet, you were the only one he'd graced with his little 'concoction?'" Another eye twitch. "He had vision." Outis now snarled again. "A pity he had to die like the fool he was. He could have lived if only he'd joined me."

Jaune thought back, desperate to try and take his mind of the mental torture. "You… met him?"

"Oh no. I just sent a message." Outis grinned. "True, it was with his last remaining family's head. That might've been why he turned me down…" Another maniacal laugh ripped it's way through the room. "You won't though. This trick only works on people like you."

Before Jaune could shout back a response, he-

 ** _(SUBMIT. JOIN. BECOME.)_**

"Do you see it yet?" Outis cackled. "The beauty of what I am trying to show you?" His eye twitched again as his voice changed back to the polite tone. "I did my research on you. I know what you really want. You want to belong.

"How long did they torment you, your mother and father?" The words hung in the air. "How long did they say 'maybe' or deflect your fondest wish away when you begged? You were so desperate to feel close to them that you risked every part of you that mattered. And for what? To be a Hunter? To fight Grimm? Pssh." Outis scoffed. "You wanted to be like them and they dangled your hopes like a carrot on a stick before throwing them away."

Jaune closed his eyes as he held back the tears. "No…"

"Yes. The sooner you admit it, the sooner you can actually be something. Not a mere Hunter but something great. Your Aura is strong! Mother would be glad to have you join the family. All you need to do-" He held his hand against Jaune's chest.

"Is serve."

 _(A cage. A prison. Gold bars. A colourful bird.)_

Jaune screamed out in defiance. "NO!"

Outis raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"Gonna take more than a tap on the chest to change me." Jaune wheezed. "You really think…" His head rocked to one side. "That I'm that easy to break?"

With a mighty roar, Jaune's muscles ripped off the metal shackles that held him to the chair as he kicked Outis hard in the chest. The white jacketed man slammed against the ground winded while Jaune dashed away from him. As he felt his Aura return, flooding through his muscles, he lashed out with a great blast of the stuff.

The window shattered for the second time that day, sending glass all over the floor as Jaune dashed over to the radio Nora had seen Outis use earlier.

"Come in!" Jaune twisted the dial to the frequency. "This is Emissary designation CAC031941! Requesting full activation of reserve forces! Professor, now's the time! Our location is two days due west of our last recorded co-"

Jaune raised and arm to protect his face as the machine in front of him burst into radiant flames. "So." The voice behind him growled. "Gotten stronger have we? And I thought you Hunters used Aura for everything."

Jaune said nothing in return. He simply let his anger rise up as he threw another blast of Aura straight out the window.

"Your aim needs work, little Jaune."

The thunder rumbled outside as black clouds appeared in the sky.

"You're mine, Outis!" Jaune roared. "You pathetic madman!"

Jaune lunged into combat with only one desperate thought on his mind.

 _Please, please let this work…_

* * *

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	22. Chapter 19

" _Often, many of those who elect to become Huntsmen find themselves unable to draw out their Aura or lack the necessary combat skills to go up against even the smallest form of Grimm. The training in smaller 'combat schools' in Vale is meant to try and help in this but even so, there are those fail._

 _The most common option for these poor souls is that they find another career and move on. For the majority, they drop out early and still have time to adapt to a new way of life._

 _Less common is joining the Support Corps. A group of individuals who at one point in history were formed from older or gravely injured Hunters and Huntresses, they now accept anyone willing to join in the fight. A great many older people who can no longer work in their first profession generally work with the Support Corps to operate as Hunting Rest Houses, especially those who live out in the Outlier Regions. This has, unfairly in my opinion, led to the Support Corps being referred to as "The Walking Stick Brigade" by some non-Huntsmen._

 _If you actually ask a Huntsman, like I did as I walked through Vacuo, you'll find a rather different story._

" _You're kidding." He said to me as I told him about the nickname. "You know how hard it is Hunting in an area you have no experience with or any knowledge of?" I chuckled in the negative. "Well, Tatar, it's like trying to pick a desert flower with your teeth. I once rested at this charming man's home. Sure, I had to find him a bottle of Spikewater from time to time but that's just fair trade. After all, he was kind enough to let me into his home and let me rest." The tall Hunter chuckled as we continued on our sandy path towards Oasis._

" _See, it's a little different in other Kingdoms." He pushed on. "Well, I know it's different in Mistral. They have proper established houses that serve as Hunting Rests and older folk tend to end up running them. There's a particularly huge one right near the Mistrali capital that is like a palace. "Six Generations Strong" I think it was…" He laughed a little and shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, the Support Corps these days isn't just old folks with houses. You got the Medic Core, although I'm not sure if they're technically part of them or not. You got armorers, weaponsmiths, teachers and a whole host of others all helping out. It's pretty loose but it works well for what it is."_

 _My stretched companion had a point. Despite the numerous members who identify as part of this massive operation, there is no real organisation even in the Atlesian kingdom. Most Rest Houses are operated on a person by person basis and even the Medic Core is more a collection of small town doctors with a wide range of training and expertise spread overly thin. While it has become easier over time to register with the Hunting Lodges and establish places of rest and healing across the kingdoms, the majority of smaller towns where the majority of Hunting is likely to take place don't actively set up anything that would support the Hunters and Huntresses that stop by to help. Even towns with a dedicated core of Huntsmen rarely establish any sort of compensation beyond a token stipend paid for by the village._

 _However, as one Huntress said to me in Oasis, "The major cities across the kingdoms actually have a far greater Support Core presence due to the concentration of people." Her short hair and combat vest suggested a more battle focused Huntress than the keen intellectual mind sitting across from me. "A cynical person would say the greater numbers of people mean more fear and negativity so people are more likely to be attacked by Grimm and so people support their defenders more." She smiled a little as she patted me on the back. "I hold a different view. I believe that people give the same amount of effort and time towards helping the Hunters and Huntresses regardless of where they are. It's only in cities like this that we see any real impact."_

 _I left both my companions with a lotus before I left the city. Neither one kept it for long. They ended up back in my hands not more than a year later."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

The twinkle of shattered glass met her eye as she dashed in. Feeling the Aura course easily through her muscles, she bounded with great leaps towards the grand metal cathedral she'd felt earlier.

 _Jaune, you idiot._ Pyrrha thought. _There had to have been a better plan in that thick skull of yours._

Distantly she felt her other companions split off and rush the lines of Nameless warriors that stood guard at the orange filigreed gates. The rain tumbled off the metal hammer as lightning battered down upon the enemy lines.

 _Focus._ She thought dispassionately. _Finish the mission._

The pitter patter of her pace pounding against the puddle strewn ground punctuated her strikes and lunges while she slid easily through the guards. A slow trickle of red hit the now muddy ground as both armored guards collapsed in a heap.

Pyrrha flicked open the doors with a conductor's wave before the metal doors tore themselves off their hinges and flung high into the cavernous building.

She could feel the metal sing to her like a wall of pure sound.

 _Iron trumpets began the first movement. All over the symphony their tones could easily be heard. A slight twitch and a steel chorus joined in. The massive crescendo-_

 _A bullet. Metal certainly. A single triangle ping in the bassy orchestra of the building swung wide as Pyrrha changed the tune._

 _The symphony continued regardless. The steel twisted and writhed through the rests of concrete that surrounded her before she felt it pull against her like puppet strings._

An easy slip of her perception and her sense abruptly switched to the high ceilings and dull gray walls of a production line. The massive forms of the mechanized suits dominated her vision with their heavy weapons and awkward human shaped forms. The huge machinery surrounding each suit injected wires and fluids into each of the behemoths as they ran further back into the dim light. As she stalked around the building, easily slashing and choking her would be opponents with casual disdain, she let the music of steel and brass vibrate through her.

 _Yes._ She could feel her Aura pulse in response to her desire. _This will be glorious._

The last vestiges of the Nameless in their production line fell simply as she slashed out with an idle hand and watched as the blood flew and splattered against the walls.

She leapt up straight through a glass window and landed in the now surging rain. It seemed somehow less around her. She could see it barrel into the ground like tiny water bullets.

 _Ignore that._ She shook her head. _The mission. The glory. Go!_

The entire Nameless army seemed preoccupied with the lightning slashes and actual lightning battering into them. Pyrrha flexed her shoulders and began to conduct her own concerto.

 _The tune was still there from earlier. All their shapes and forms creating such beautiful songs in their own way._

 _A pity to disrupt it. But still, a change wrought itself first into the iron. They all rose to a crescendo of thumping drums and dull horns as they all surged out of the song in a heap._

 _Next, the smaller parts. The brass bellowed short staccato blasts as the tinny ringing of gold joined in. Both metals and any others she could feel all ended on a surge of noise and sudden silence to follow._

 _Not bad. Now the finale._

 _She felt her Aura, her very essence, pierce the multitude of steel in the building. The alloy, while iron at heart, had been mixed and infused with other lesser notes and instruments. The low almost sad tones it produced sang to Pyrrha far deeper than any music ever could._

 _She lurched deeper, letting the steel be fully filled with her music. It would follow her tune now, no matter where it was or how far it was embedded._

 _The concrete cracked. No music came._

 _She focused her strength. The music started so quietly in the walls. The slow subtle build up took all of her considerable focus. Her conducting forced the instruments higher as the metal burrowed its way closer to the chorus._

 _More. She felt herself flood the metal with Aura as she let the music fill her like it hadn't truly since…_

 _Since…_

 _A chain snapped up beside her in turn snapping her focus back to the music. She'd missed a few bars but now came the final movement._

 _They reached the chorus, freeing their sounds from the dull texture and finally joining the chorus in glorious rapturous harmonies._

She released her hold, sinking ever so slightly closer to the ground. She surveyed the damage with fresh eyes while she scanned for any survivors.

Where once stood a mighty tower of brick and concrete with a steel stable at its' side, now a pile of rocks and rubble had taken it's place. The highlights of red throughout mixed in with the black oil and occasional sparks of electricity before the storm consumed them.

Pyrrha took a deep breath and felt her body sink just a little closer while her breath skittered out her mouth.

 _Still got something left in me. Unlike last time…_

She sighed. Her part in this offensive was done. She could rest and regroup while-

 _A twang of disharmony pulsed through her mind. That same note of discordant wrongness that she couldn't properly feel from earlier._

 _Two trilling tunes of it. Coming towards her._

Pyrrha smiled just slightly as she rolled her shoulders and readied herself into a defensive stance.

 _Bring it._

Her Aura roared as she plunged herself into the chorus once more.

 _So the off-key music disrupted her songs. So what? There were other instruments to reach for to join._

 _Like the gold in the circuits-_

 _What?_

"What?" Pyrrha whispered to herself. She felt herself sink into the chorus again.

 _Again, she found her music silence. The metals no longer sung her song. At least, not with the disharmony disrupting it._

The hulking forms of the mechanized armor slammed into view. Both of them polished by rainwater as their bluish metal shells glistened in the downpour.

Pyrrha battered the metal carapace of one with a mighty leap straight in to it with her shield. Using the momentum, she span off and began to slash at any exposed parts she could.

A whirring behind her forced her to fling herself straight behind the metal beast as bullets hammered it. As the closer suit of armor wheeled around her, it was all Pyrrha could do to avoid the large slashing blade.

The dirt flew up high. The mammoth blade embedded itself straight into the thick muddy ground. A backhand strike from the other arm collided with a mighty thwack against her shield. Pyrrha flew straight back and slammed into her own pile of rubble.

Pyrrha clenched her teeth together as she felt the familiar shock of pain lance up her arm. With a sharp short breath, she lunged in for another round.

The gunfire came in as she dashed away from the rubble. With a flicker of her perception, she reached out…

 _And conducted a beat around her. While her song couldn't touch the disharmonious metal, she could still enforce her music around her._

 _Her music. Her song. Her glory._

The bullets flew off, missing her armor by bare inches and scattering the collapsed rubble into puffs of dust. It took all of her incredible speed and pushing her Aura to it's limits to stab her spear straight into a shifting piston.

The jerky motions that the steel behemoth attempted afterward were more like an awkward dance than any combat attempt. With the suit now off balance, Pyrrha slammed in once more into a leg and felt the great whirring colossus collapse straight to the ground. She could faintly hear the scream of the pilot as the cockpit slammed directly down, sending shards of glass into the compartment.

 _Okay._ She thought. _One down, just have to-_

 **SLAM.**

The strike sent her flying once more as she cracked her back against the unflinching stone of the mountain. She groaned out in pain before shifting into a battle cry. With a heavy slam of her spear against her shield, she sprinted back into the fight.

As she dashed around just out of the suits' range, she could see the slight differences between this suit and the pile of metal scrap that had once tried to fight her. She quickly noted, just as it tried to crush her, the articulated hand instead of the heavy blade. A rapid flicker on analysis showed that this suit was lighter and far smoother in its movements. This information did little good as a small fragment of a bullet sliced across her shoulder. Blood soaked her armor as she heard the giant piston powered fist rise high above her head.

 _Focus. Reach out for your Aura. Let it flow. There is nothing but the combat. Shut out pain. Shut out the blood._

A cold dispassionate glare fell over Pyrrha's gaze. Instead of the casual mask of smiles and cheer she held around the others, a flat stare and gritted teeth now took their place. She didn't say a word before she reached for her music again. The metal shards floated up behind her forming twin snakes as she slammed them into the sleek suit of armor.

Even as they began their assault on the blue tinted behemoth, the shards began to fall out of her grasp. The suit seemed to feel different as the metal scratched and scraped away the outer shell of fractured armor.

 _Not fast enough._ The cold voice in Pyrrha's head thought. _Disruptive element identified. Remove with extreme force._

As the hail of gunfire slammed into the ground near her, Pyrrha slid easily out the line of bullets and slashed a foot. The great behemoth slammed straight down only to hit the muddy ground. The rain slicked through Pyrrha's hair and while her green her eyes narrowed, she could dimly feel the blood on her shoulder wash slowly down her.

Another hail of bullets and Pyrrha just tanked the small rounds with her shield. Waiting for the incredible river of gunfire to stop, she held fast as her muscles screamed in pained protest. She slid back a mere inch before the low whirring of the machine's gun stopped.

 _Now._

A great leap took her onto the arm of her opponent. As it stood still and tried to scrape her off like a persistent fly, she hacked and stabbed with both spear and shield at the joined metal where gun met armour.

Each hit rang out across the ruined battlefield. Each blow shook Pyrrha's arms. Each ducking of the other arm stretched out the bleeding shoulder.

 _Ignore the pain. Ignore the weakness. There is only battle. There will be only glory._

There was no great cry of victory as the gun was loosened from its mechanical perch. While it splashed on the ground, there was only the gentle pulsing of electricity through the circuits.

There was nothing that mattered to Pyrrha beyond satisfaction.

Before it could be savoured, the feeling quickly evaporated into the air as a sinking feeling quickly took its' place.

 _That feels like J-_

A blast of white-hot flame singed the ground around her. Steam briefly surrounded Pyrrha before she leapt back through the flames and distanced herself from the opponent. A slide along the wet ground gave her a brief moment.

 _Mechanized threat with Aura blasts. Disable the cockpit with the pilot. Extreme force._

A headlong bullrush took sent her dripping red hair flowing behind her like a cape of fire. The undamaged fist of the mechanized beast swung in low from the left. Time seemed to slow. Raindrops hung in mid air. Pyrrha flexed her legs and, in a might show of brutal acrobatics, leapt straight up and flipped to land on the arm.

As time seemed to speed up for her, Pyrrha lunged straight in with her spear. She plunged the sharp metal straight through the glass.

A choked gasp was her reward.

The machine powered down. With a dim glow, it pulsed one last time before it was silenced for good.

 _Victory._ The word sent a rush of exhilaration through her body even as she leapt off the now immobile arm. A splash sent water flying before Pyrrha turned to face her next formidable task. She took a brief moment to survey the carnage that Ren and Nora were easily inflicting on their far weaker opponents. Even as the occasional Ursa shape popped up, there was no hesitation in any of their strikes. The rain did its fair share of work while the lightning tore apart their lines.

 _Still._ She thought. _Couldn't hurt to give them a helping hand._

She paused. Before she could make a single step in their direction, an unfamiliar feeling flew through her body.

 _Wha-_

The adrenaline abruptly vanished from her system. Her Aura had reached critical red.

 _No…_ Her emotions rushed back into play. _No, no! Not now!_

Her arms were weary. As the shield and spear crashed into the muddy ground, she idly noted that no-one actually seemed to to notice her collapse.

Her legs buckled under her as she sank deeper into the ground.

She felt her heart strain in her chest as she gasped for more air.

 _So… tired…_

Her eyes, despite all the effort and will she'd shown earlier, refused to stay open.

Her head hit the ground and darkness enclosed Pyrrha's vision.

 _Victory. Glory. Rest._

* * *

( **rwbyfan5** betaed this story. In case you didn't know.

No new favourites this week. If you're enjoying the story, I'd really appreciate a review. In fact, even if you're not enjoying it, why not say so in a review?

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	23. Chapter 20

" _For as long as there have been Hunting Lodges, there have been legendary Hunters and Huntresses who radically changed the very nature of the Hunt itself. While the status of whether or not there was a First Huntress or whether_ _it's merely a crucible of different myths that happen to have the same basis is up for debate, the power and status of these greats is undisputed amongst the kingdoms._

 _ **Python of the Sands,**_ _also commonly referred to as_ _ **Python Indomitable,**_ _is generally heralded amongst Hunters and Huntresses as the first Huntress to use Aura enhancement. While Aura had been used as a healing element in combat before, Python used it to enhance her own strength instead. This resulted in her most famous exploit where she punched a Sekhmet Major once and exploded the beast into chunks no larger than a fist. News of this feat quickly spread across the kingdoms. It was only after one of her students managed to replicate the technique that the kingdoms stopped clamouring for her to join their Hunting Lodges. While her name has passed into the history books for the common people, any good student of Hunting history will easily find a myriad of references on her._

 _ **Ask**_ _was a mighty Hunter wielding a very simple woodcutter's axe. In comparison to today's complex shifting gears and dual purpose weaponry that pervade, the axe was just that. All the more impressive, then, were the acts he performed with it. They include but are by no means limited to: slaying a Nevermore by throwing the axe at it, somehow managing to carve his way through a mountain by hacking at it, finding an Ursa Cub and running off with it while its' mother clawed its' way through the forest behind it and many numerous other mind boggling activities. He is best remembered for his use of a simple weapon and for, in the eyes of many Hunting academics, bringing Hunting to a broader level. I understand that, despite the Atlesian (or Mantelian, depending on your history) nature of the story, a series of children's' books remain quite popular amongst the youngsters of today._

 _ **Many**_ _academics will argue for hours and days on end about which Huntsman or Kingdom was the first to use dual form weaponry. However, any academic who seeks to argue against the fact that_ _ **Tang of the Never Walked Path**_ _was the first to actively spread the idea around will be laughed out of their place of study. After the fall of the Chroma Empire and the rise of the Colour Revolution, each Hunter and Huntress needed to be as adaptable as possible in light of their new work load. Seeing this need, Tang created a staff that doubled as a two shot spike thrower to aid in his common Hunts of Nevermore in the Kingdom of Mistral. His inventive spirit, combined with his confirmed kill count, helped Hunters and Huntress from all kingdoms design their own dual form weaponry. The staff, known as "_ _ **Second Collection"**_ _for reasons that are only known to Tang himself, is still displayed proudly at the Library of Ten Thousand Wisdoms in Mistral._

 _ **Remembered**_ _primarily for her peerless dedication to Hunting,_ _ **Iron**_ _ **Divinia**_ _was the first Huntress to ever be firmly on duty for her entire Hunting legacy. As far as anyone can discern from records at the time, Divinia spent each day she could fighting the Grimm and defending her town. She was awarded the title "Iron" after she died and the villagers proudly put her in a casket made of steel, an incredibly rare honour at the time. To quote one villager: "The only way she'd stay dead is if we locked her up in that box. Else, she'd just be annoyed at the town for having to dig her way out." The Iron League of Vale is said to credit her surprisingly not as founder but instead as inspiration for their own efforts._

 _ **Simply**_ _known as "_ _ **The Lady Torment,"**_ _this legendary Huntress was said to be the first to ever activate a Semblance. Many years before the Colour Revolution, perhaps even at the start of the Chroma Empire, she developed a talent for simply inflicting pain upon her opponents. Against the Grimm, this caused them to scratch and claw at their pains until they tore themselves to shreds. Against people, she barely even had to move in combat as they collapsed to the ground and twitched in silent agony. Perhaps in an effort to balance out her extreme pain, her partner (details of whom are lost to the winds of time sadly) was said to be able to sooth and relieve pains from the body. A tragedy their relationship must have been, as her partner in every document is referred to as "_ _ **Traitor Most High."  
**_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."  
_

* * *

"Ren!" Nora cried out. "Pyrrha's down! We need to keep these guys on us!" She spun around in place, letting the broken bodies of her Nameless enemies pile up before swung them high into the air.

She could feel the lightning surge through her again before she thrust her hammer into the air. As if answering her silent call, the sky lit up in pure white light before a great bolt struck the muddy ground. The poor warriors closest to the blast burst into dark ash while others collapsed as the energy powered through them.

Nora stood alone in her own little circle of ash and wounded enemies. The groans and bare screams filled her ears as she looked around her.

"Nora!" Ren shouted back. "Need a little help here with these morons!"

Nora grinned her wolfish grin and clutched her hammer close.

 _Batter up._

With the lightning still building in her, Nora flashed into the centre of the main group besieging her long time partner in combat and began swinging like a woodsman in a forest. With each mighty arc of her hammer, a break would rip through the ears of the other warriors. A loud cry of pain for every single heavy movement through them. Each battering blow sent more and more of their once seemingly limitless number down.

Eventually, Nora noted dimly, they began to swarm around her leaving Ren alone. She kept grinning and switched her hammer to grenade launcher mode.

If Nora had been devastating with a hammer, then she was a storm unto herself with her long range weapon. Easily keeping herself away from the horde, she blasted any group that she could see charging her. The recoil of the grenades only served to help shift her aim to a new set of victims after each stunning blast.

The Nameless minions kept on charging. With each one she seemed to tear down, another one would seem to step in and try to ineffectually slash at her. Once or twice, they even managed to scrape just close enough for her to feel it.

 _Not enough. Need a few more…_

"Who thinks they can take on the mighty Nora!?" She roared in challenge, a lightning bolt not of her creation clashing into existence behind her. "Feel the hammer, fools!" She unfolded the hammer into its full glory before lunging back into the fray.

Distantly, she was sure of it, she could hear a faint sigh from Ren.

 _Well, I'm having fun. Ren can't mind too much._

With another wide swing of her hammer, she took out another moron. She heard the crack as his jaw snapped into a thousand tiny pieces and only barely managed to contain her wince before another axe slashed across her back. Her jacket held against the assault even as she winced at the slight pressure.

 _Little more._

She turned round and began to box rapidly. Punching all available foes in reach, she used her hammer to block and parry those out of her sight. As her fists plowed through jaws and heads alike, Nora felt the reinforced fabric on her gloves split ever so slightly.

 _This is gonna have to do!_

With practised ease, Nora shifted the hammer's form again and aimed.

Straight down.

With a mighty explosion of fire and screams, Nora jumped into the air and fired again. Each boost brought her higher and higher into the rain filled sky and the moans and cries of her foes got more and more distant.

Eventually, she hovered in the air too behold the carnage she had wrought on. A deep crater of scorched earth lay directly beneath her as the ruined forms of her foes crawled away. Distantly, she could see Pyrrha's form lying gently in the rain undisturbed. She descended with a sonic boom before-

 **WHIFF.**

 _Alright, that guy there gets to die first. Nice and simple!_

True to her word, Nora flung herself fully at the now weaponless goon. The hammer met his chest and Nora felt the shock of it caving in ran up her arm. With a new joyful grin running across her face, she began to swing back into the horde.

Left and right, they fell to the hammer. Before some could even turn to escape, they fell to the hammer. As their screams filled the rain soaked air, they all fell to the hammer.

Nora turned to Ren. "You alright there?"

"Just-" Ren ducked under a wide slash of a clae before flipping onto the Ursa monstrosity and landing neatly on its' head. "-Fine! You just keep them off me!"

"But Ren…!" She fake whined as she slammed her hammer into another member of the rapidly thinning hordes. "I wanna help!"

"Just keep crushing people!" Ren cried as he flipped down to the ground, peppering the beast with shots all the way down. "I'm winning!"

"Winning" might have been stretching the truth somewhat. Even with his exceptional speed, Ren couldn't shoot through the thick fur of the beast rapidly surrounding him.

 _Okay._ Ren thought. _Three of them still standing. Managed to take one out by shooting the centre with the person. Just gotta keep going around and finding the other weak spots while-_

Another slash ripped through his thinking. With an easy backflip, Ren flew through the air and slashed wildly at the arms of another monstrosity. The cuts carved deep grooves in the flesh but even as Ren flung himself back he could clearly see them start to knit back together.

He took a quick moment to analyse the battlefield. Even as the rain came tumbling down, he could still clearly see the three Ursa monstrosities lurching towards him. A flicker of shifting focus gave him the comfort of the crunching bones that always seemed to follow Nora's hammer while he saw the slowly depleting numbers of the hordes that had once slammed into him.

 _Focus. We are the darkness…_

He could feel the Aura rush through his muscles and the world slow in response. Running through the splashing puddles, he could just about see the raindrops fall around him as he fired his pistols straight at the chest of a beast.

The poor figure's face contorted in a portrait of silent pain as the bullets tore through him. The furry cage that surrounded him hit the ground and quickly turned to sludge as it sank into the water.

 _One down._

Ren flexed his shoulders, feeling his Aura flood through him and out into the world. The unified roar of the other foes only focused his mind to a keen edge.

Dashing towards the left most beast, Ren aimed for the chest once more. A great inky arm plowed through the air into the bullets' path before the hulking form stomped straight towards him. The bony plates on its' back shifted as the other claw slammed down.

A narrow miss. The air rushed through Ren's deep black hair as he flinched into a dodge away from the massive carnage in front of him. With one hand still firing, he flung a single machine pistol into the air. A whirring sound was all the warning the beast had before the green pistol embedded itself straight in its shoulder.

The beast roared in pain, desperately clawing at the intrusive implement. Its' eyes pulsed brighter as it turned back towards its annoyingly spritely foe. It lunged again.

Ren rolled straight out of the way, the claw embedding itself in the ground where he had stood mere moments before. The ground shook and before Ren had a chance to readjust, the beast slammed the back of its other claw in Ren.

He flew flat through the air. Without any time to adjust, the other beast slapped him down and pinned him into the dirt.

 _Not good._

He looked over at Nora, smiling despite his situation, swinging her hammer with complete abandon.

 _She's surrounded. Can't really ask her to waste energy on me._

He closed his eyes for an instant and a single lonely thought ran through his head.

 _The claws are for Hunting. We use them only for prey._

He opened his eyes, letting his Aura surge through him in a flood of power as he flicked his gloved hands into a claw shape.

The claw tips dug deep into the beast, causing it to flinch back with a wild flail of its arm. Ren pushed his body further, forcing more and more Aura through his muscles.

 _And so begins my Hunt._

The difference was instantaneous. Where once he'd slowed in the rain, now it parted like him in a ripple of waves. The beasts themselves seemed to be fighting through thick sludge as Ren sprinted past and around their guard.

The first had almost completely subsumed its' host into its' body with the only fragment of humanity left on show the open mouth, frozen forever in its' last scream. With a heavy sigh, Ren fired a single shot into the mouth and flickered over to the next one.

Warped by his own speed, he could feel the dull thump of dissolving flesh hit wet ground. As he felt his body flow back into normal speed, he groaned aloud in protest as his body lit alight with pain. The groan quickly turned into a roar as he surged ahead and jumped into the air.

Keeping his eyes solely in the machine pistol embedded in the beast's shoulder, he fired a salvo of shots straight into its' head. The beast lumbered to raise its' arm to protect the bone white mask of its' face.

 _Perfect._

Landing on the arm, Ren sprinted across the black fur peppered with spikes and snatched up his weapon. Firing once again, he used the rocking motion of the beast to jump straight up in the air again.

He felt the rain. He felt the rips in his uniform. He felt the recoil.

The beast was ignorant of its' inevitable fate as Ren landed, crouched in a puddle, and unleashed hell.

Bullets tore through the furry flesh of the beast. Each splash of rain found a companion in sound with the powerful blasts of the bullets rippling through the air. The black clad Hunter began to follow up his attack before flowing past a slow strike to his entire body.

 _And so I Hunt._

Another flip and the bullets were back, ripping through the bony plates and shattering them to the ground. The raw pulsing black oozing mass that must have constituted the thing's innards shifted and squirmed before Ren's eyes even as the open wounds began to heal. The slow passage of white bone creeping was all the warning Ren needed.

A single shot opened this barrage. One bullet to raise its' arm and Ren leapt forward straight into the centre.

His deep green blades quickly found themselves tinted red as a low scream just stroked past his ears.

In the last moments of death, the unnatural stitching of man and beast had one final trick. A single bone spike launched out of its' perch on the arm and slammed straight into Ren's side.

"GAH!" He cried out. His pain as the blood dripped over the bony appendage was only matched by the surprise he felt.

 _My Hunt does not end… here. It_ _ **will**_ _not end here._

Quickly flicking his eyes to Nora, he thanked the Guardian that she hadn't heard. _No need for her to know just yet. I'll be fine._

He slashed off as much of the bone as he could, still leaving a small trail of blood from his side and a white stump jutting out of him.

 _Come on! My Hunt is not over!_

His body lurched in response as he felt his deepest reserves of Aura rush through him.

 _Okay then, time for critical maneuvers!_

He dashed over to the last couple of stragglers that had survived Nora's onslaught of lightning and hammer smashes. Not even realising a new foe had entered, the fools quickly found themselves on the floor in puddles more red than blue.

The lightning surged down on one final group of Nameless before Nora took a deep breath and turned to smile at her friend.

Ren smiled back and made to take a step.

His knees gave. Before they had even touched water, Nora grabbed him and held him in her arms.

 _Nope. He's fine. He's just joking here…_ Nora thought.

"Heh," Ren laughed. "Got a little-" He wheezed a strained breath. "Overconfident there, huh?" A small smile came across his face.

"Come on now." Nora's voice was worriedly happy with a strange mix of hope and dread. "I'm gonna boop you on the nose and you're gonna stand up, right as rain. Y'hear me, Ren?"

"Always there, no matter where." Ren coughed out. "Well, I'm here." He smiled ruefully.

"No!" Nora shouted. She touched a finger to his nose and whispered "Boop."

Ren took another deep breath.

"Come on, Ren." She hugged the torn form of her best friend closer to her. "Please, not here. We won! Don't do this. Please."

"Sorry, Nora. Aura's pretty much gone." Ren hugged back, causing Nora's breath to hitch. "I'll stay as long as I can. Just for you. Always there no matter…" The last word drifted off, drowned out by the rain.

"NO!" Nora cried out. She placed Ren as delicately as one would a water lotus on the rain soaked ground and held her hammer aloft. She felt the lightning in her roar in unison with her own cry.

 _I can do this. I can do this. The lightning is mine and it will come!_

She thrust her hammer to the skies again as she stood seemingly alone amongst the dead and wounded. The clouds rumbled as she forced her hammer high again and again.

 _COME TO ME!_ Her entire being roared. There was no need for sound. Using her voice would only distract her.

The bolt struck her hammer and she felt blinding power surge through her.

 _Good._ She nodded. _Now the hard part._

She felt the lightning pulse through her veins and desperately sought to keep in contained her muscles clenched against her soaked uniform as she stomped over to Ren's body.

 _Not his body, just Ren._ She thought angrily. _He's not going! He's not leaving me, not here, not ever!_

She knelt beside him and placed an ear to his chest. _Heartbeat is wrong. Not still, just wrong._

 _This will work. This will work or so help me I'm coming to get you._

"You hear that!" Nora screamed skyward. "Either he comes back or I'm gonna come get him! I don't care what I have to do! I'll bring him back! YOU HEAR ME!"

She placed her hands on his chest and surged the smallest trickle of lightning into him. The mighty storm within her rushed to be free.

Ren convulsed but quickly fell still.

 _Again!_

Another convulsion.

 _Again!_

A faint breath but then stillness once more.

 _COME ON!_

She forced the lightning through her, feeling her hands burn in the process. She collapsed in exhaustion as the last sparks flowed.

 _Please…_

Ren took a deep gasping breath and sat up. The rain streaked through his hair as he saw Nora. His eyes went wide as gave a quick look up to the sky and then another at her.

It was all she could do to nod, not having the energy for words. He engulfed her in a bear hug.

"Badass, Nora." He smiled into her neck. "Badass."

 _That'll do._ Nora thought as she rested against her best friend.

 _That's enough._

* * *

( **rwbyfan5: Insert Funny Joke.**

Many thanks to all you wonderful people for reading this story! We're almost at the end...

No new favourites this time.

Hope you're still enjoying it all!)


	24. Chapter 21

" _Hunters and Huntresses all go through rigorous training in order to properly prepare them_ _for their future careers. This much is known even to the last knowledgeable of people. But the structure this training takes is a far more complex issue and every Hunting Lodge does it differently. There are, however, some common themes that carry over between the different Lodges:_

 _ **Training**_ _always begins young. Even in Vale, one of the more comparatively less restrictive kingdoms, most children start Hunting training at around ten years old. They are introduced to a fitness regimen and are expected to keep up a good level of fitness. Their actual fitness isn't truly assessed until two years later. It is around this time that the Aura of a child will activate although there have been instances of some children flourishing later in in their careers._

 _ **Combat**_ _schools serve as a precursor to the Hunting Academies. As the name implies, these smaller schools teach battle technique and give children who might not come from a Hunting background a chance to experiment with weaponry. For five years, students drill every form of possible combat against their fellow students. It also serves as an excellent introduction into the enhanced nature of Aura combat and Aura management._

 _ **After**_ _the minimum of five years, at seventeen children may apply to a Hunting Academy. There are typically three basic tests that all of the Academies insist on having (although some do have an additional set such as Shade and its' interview section.) These tests are Combat, Weapon Proficiency and Aptitude. For Combat, students are pitted against numerous drones in a never ending wave until they eventually fail to destroy a drone quickly enough. Aptitude is a simple hour long test with a series of questions on it testing reasoning skills. Weapon Proficiency is more of a performance than a proper test as far as I can tell. Instead of their being any formal assessment criteria, prospective students to the academy are expected to show off their ability to wield their weapon in such a way as to impress the examiner. This may seem unfair, especially to those who choose simpler weaponry, but ultimately it seems to be more of a personality test. The children too shy to properly give it their all and go all out would not survive very long in the world of Grimm. (These tests may be done before the application process begins formally, with students handing their scores and transcripts to the Academy. Often this is done to expedite the process and provide a greater degree of certainty for the students involved.)_

 _ **Should**_ _the student pass all three of these tests, they are accepted onto the Academy's student roll and are formally accepted as a Hunter at least in part. The amount of time that each academy takes to train a student naturally varies. For example, Shade in Vacuo takes two years for a full line of study to be completed whereas Mistral's Haven requires more than twice that commitment with a five year course. Study is split at all Academies between Grimm Studies, History and Combat Drills with the occasional field trip to put those skills into practice._

 _ **A small aside:**_ _I have heard some rather interesting rumours about something people are calling an "Initiation Challenge" that occurs at some of the academies. While those Huntsmen who I mention it to seem to be wary about discussing it, the most I could discover about it is that it serves as a possible way of weeding out students that the Professors think are unfit to serve as Huntsmen. My studies on this sort of event, as of my writing this, continue to bear little or no fruit."_

 _Tatar of the Wandering Tribes, "Marvels of Remnant - The Hunting Lodges."_

* * *

The bolt of Aura flew past his head as he ducked underneath the battered desk for the third time. He quickly checked the clip on his pistol before leaping over the makeshift defence and fired.

Another bolt came soaring straight for his face. He slammed straight down to the floor before he sprang back into cover.

 _Okay, haven't got many shots left. He's been moving too fast for me to pin down…_

"Why, Mr Arc!" Outis shouted. "Fancy meeting you here!"

 _And apparently, too fast for me to hear._

A frantic series of acrobatics took Jaune from a low crouch to halfway across the room. He could feel his body easily stretch and shape itself into now familiar shapes while it bounded to safer ground.

 _Thank god for his ego._ Jaune thought to himself while he surveyed the battleground.

The room was large enough to hold a decent sized party in with the large window providing ample view to the outside. Now, the great steel walls were a merely a canvas upon which pinpricks of bullets and splotches of scorch marks lay. The furniture that had been scattered across the room now lay in tatters with pieces of wood splintered everywhere he looked. A few cast iron bookcases stayed upright although their contents now joined the wood on the floor. A slow dribble of water trickled in from a burst pipe in the wall easily winding through the scattered debris.

 _Not much cover…_

"Ah, I do so enjoy this." Outis said. The room remained mostly silent as he did so. "Actually fighting with someone. You enjoy it too, don't you?"

Jaune just let his senses extend out.

"Oh, but you must. No one gets a will like yours without being a fighter, a warrior. They wouldn't have picked you if you didn't fight. That's what Mother did with me."

Jaune's eyes widened. He clicked the hammer back on his pistol before listening intently once again.

"Yes, Mother always did like the best. As long as you were good at something, she considered you family." A heavy sigh washed through the room. "You would have fit in so well. She'd be much better to you than your parents were."

The Aura blast came a split second after Jaune had rolled out of cover. Clenching his trigger finger as fast as he could, he unloaded at the white jacketed figure in front of him.

Shots went wide or collided with debris but Jaune knew he'd hit when a low scream of pain ripped through the room. The journey from cover to cover had taken less half a minute, even counting the shooting, but finally progress was being made.

 _First decent blow I've had on that lunatic all day. Now, just gotta-_

The hand clenched around his neck, Jaune struggled to finish his thought.

"Of course," Outis bit out. "She doesn't like failure, no no no not Mother. Tell me, Jaune," Another tight squeeze punctuated his name. "Why do you fight?"

"What?" Jaune coughed out.

For his trouble, Outis slammed Jaune into the wall. "You know what I mean. What's the point of all this? You know there's no victory here. I know why you started this but why continue? What purpose is there to this blind quest?"

Jaune's eyes flickered to the window and to the battle torn ground it showed. Bodies were strewn everywhere as the crushed remains of the factory were spread out amongst them.

 _Good work…_

"So it's her!" Outis smiled. "And your friends too, I assume. Don't worry, I don't need to see you blush. But that makes sense. A battle proven girl around your age and you just can't but help and try to keep up. Awww…." An exaggerated sniffle pantomimed its way into his voice. "It's so sweet!"

Jaune's eyes went wide. "No, no… No! Your fight's with me!"

"Say goodbye, little Jaune. Who knows? They might even hear it if you scream loud enough." Outis whispered straight into Jaune's ear before he shoved his hand towards the window.

Three white lights ripped forth from his hand and flew straight out.

"NO!" Jaune cried, tearing himself free. A mighty heave shoved Outis out of the way as he ran to the window.

Three bursts of white light met his gaze. He took a deep breath.

And laughed.

A loud full belly laugh.

Jaune clutched at his chest as he turned to face his opponent. "Man…" He said through the laughter. "You really think I'd leave them undefended?"

Outis growled and stabbed out a hand exactly as he had had before. This time, though, Jaune grabbed it and forced the blasts back in towards the dilapidated room they'd fought in.

"No." Jaune snarled. "Enough." He clenched his fist and slammed it into Outis' face in a rough fist. He felt a surge of euphoria as his knuckles crunched against the other man's cheekbone and he could feel the bone crack underneath them.

"Alright then…" Outis said, flicking his wrist out of the hold.

Instantly, Jaune's head snapped back from the freight train of a straight punch. Throwing his pistol to the floor, he parried away the next blow. The volley of back and forth blows continued at breakneck speed while the two seemingly equal warriors frantically searched for any advantage over the other.

"Come on, little Jaune." Outis snapped. His teeth were bared in a grimace of anger. "Show me your Aura. Why don't you use your little crutch? Don't seem to be winning without it…"

Jaune responded in simple, easy to understand terms.

He punched Outis in the face sending him to the floor.

 _Y'know,_ He thought. _I finally get why people keep doing that to me._

Outis' eyes glared orange for a split second before his eyes twitched. Standing up, he rolled his shoulders and settled down into a low martial stance. Jaune kept his feet moving in a bouncing one-two rhythm as he held his hands close to his chest.

Outis lunged forward with a kick, forcing Jaune straight backwards despite the stiff arm block Jaune deployed. Another punch followed which slammed into the wall. The dust scattered into Jaune's hair just as he rolled out of the way. Sliding along the debris strewn ground, he launched himself at his gun.

Only to see it kicked away out the window.

"Tut, tut." Outis reprimanded. "We were engaging in hand to hand there." A hammer kick straight to his leg and Jaune's voice let out a short cry of protest. "It isn't fair to try and use weapons. But seeing as you're so willing to cheat…"

The white clad man clenched his fist and the now familiar feeling of pooling Aura tinged the air. Jaune leapt at the man and once again redirected the blast. Jaune gritted his teeth as he felt the arm in his grasp shift slightly.

"Tiring, are we?" Outis sneered. His eyes glowed orange and twitched again. "Good!"

With another flash of blinding speed, Outis slammed into Jaune with a full body tackle. His should dug into Jaune's chest and before long the two were on the ground, grappling for supremacy.

With every attempt to free himself, Jaune was met with retaliation. A hand reaching out for a piece of wood was cracked by a hammer hand strike. A reverse grapple was countered easily by an elbow straight to the chest. Even the more desperate move of headbutting Outis was met with a headbutt in response.

Everywhere he looked, Jaune couldn't see a way out.

Until he saw it.

 _Crocea Mors!_ His mind sang with possibilities. _If I can get to it…_

Forcing his body to tense, Jaune screamed out in pain before the Aura ripped through him. The white hot blast sent Outis flying straight towards the window while Jaune forced himself towards his ancestral weapon.

He flicked up the shield to his hand with a single step and reached for the well worn grip of the-

 _Where's the sword?_

He looked around the room, eyes darting back and forth between different piles of rubble.

 _I can't have lost it… It's got to be here somewhere…_

Outis' shouting drew Jaune's attention. "Lost your sword? Feeling a little diminished? Come on, boy!" As the flying figure leapt towards him, Jaune's whole body and soul unified behind a single thought.

 _No._

With a casual backhand crunch of the shield, Jaune slammed Outis into a wall. The crack spiderwebbed out before a low groan rumbled out into the room.

"Finally using your Aura, huh kid?" The glow in Outis' eyes flashed brighter. "Fantastic!"

The tendrils of orange light slammed into Jaune's chest. They spun around him and seemed to pierce through him as he felt his Aura being stripped away. The palpable feeling of something at once so familiar to him and yet before now so intangible being drained forced Jaune to his knees. He held in his pained gasp as he glared in defiance up at Outis.

"How does it feel?" Outis sneered before kicking Jaune in the stomach. "Little Hunter, all full of Aura. How does it feel to be weak like the rest of us?"

Outis' leg pulled back for another kick.

It met Jaune's out stretched hand.

"Not as bad as you might think."

 **CLANG.**

"How?" Outis screamed as he backed away.

"Don't know." Jaune stomped ahead. "Might be the concoction." A crack of the shield battered Outis into the wall. "Might be your little orange thing doesn't work the way you want it to." Another thump with the shield.

"You could still join!" Outis cried back, even as he tried desperately to stop the blows. "You'd be lauded as a great! Glory and fame!"

Jaune mulled this offer over before shaking his head in a single easy movement. "Nope."

As he slipped behind Jaune, Outis shouted out in desperation. "Then die!" The Aura blast surged into existence and was swatted away like a fly.

"No." Jaune stepped forward.

"You really think you can do anything to stop her? Mother has more than just me as a loyal servant! Don't you want to hear about them?"

"No." His tone flat, he slammed the shield straight into Outis' gasping mouth.

As the pleas proceeded to get more and more desperate, Jaune's voice or strikes never wavered. Even before he could try to escape, Outis found his every path of exit blocked by the gritty and grimy armor he had battered around not minutes before.

"You don't know how to control your Aura!" Outis held his hands up. "You know you weren't the only one Dove tried that serum on. The others all went mad or worse. You'll want help for that!"

"No!" Jaune slammed the shield into Outis' chest and rammed him up against the only undamaged section of wall in the entire collapsing room. He glared directly into the sniveling man's eyes before saying the most crushing phrase he could think of.

"You tried." Jaune said bitterly before pulling back the shield.

"I can still be useful!"

"You can't. Not to me, not now." The shield collided with Outis' causing the other man to scream out in protest. As he did so, an orange glow tore through the room. The tendrils stretched out like cracks in the air and struck Jaune straight in the temples. He could feel the strange pulsing energy forcing itself into him.

"What is this?!" Jaune demanded. "Outis, what are you-"

His mind started to shut down. All his pain and anger gently drifted off even as Jaune desparately struggled against it.

The glow of the tendrils flashed even brighter and Jaune slammed his eyes shut.

* * *

 _(The training building at the forward Prism base. A picture of a war torn field he'd read about. The office he'd just been-)_

Jaune opened his eyes and, curiously, felt his wounds and pains miraculously fade. He looked around at his surroundings, finding them at once both familiar yet completely alien. A mix of details and outright absurdities all clashed in his view as he turned his head to see -

Something was wrong. Neither the room or Jaune had seemed to move. In fact...

 _I remember this. The heck is going on?_ Jaune thought. _That's my old playground from school next to my park..._

 _(Dad flipping a coin for chores. Racing his sisters to get snacks for movie night. Arguing with another boy over who got to sit in "the good seat.")_

 _It's like somebody playing songs at me. Old, half remembered things...  
_

He turned his head across the stitched together background to find a small boy, all clad in white. The boy reached up his hand to Jaune and -

 _ **(PAIN. SUPERIORITY. DESTRUCTION.)**_

 _Gah!_ Jaune cried in his head as he dove away.

 _(His mother repeatedly telling him to tidy his room. Professor Dove explaining the procedure. His own explanation of the attack plan on the base.)_

 _So… Explaining? I have to talk this lunatic to death?_

His mind was frantically putting pieces together as he began to try and move from where he stood. As he did, the child came up to him again and -

 _ **(SUBMISSION. DOMINANCE.)**_

 _No!_ Jaune flinched his hand away. _So, it's like a feeling's game?_

 _(His idle daydreams when he was meant to be learning. His thoughts as he first entered his new quarters at Prism. His confused smile as he talked to Pyrrha.)_

 _So, anything about me?_

 _(His father smiling. His mother smiling. Ozpin nodding.)_

 _I'll take that as a yes._

He could feel his memories rush through him as he grabbed out at the small child infront of him.

 _(Failure. His own attempts to swing Crocea Mors and landing on his face in the garden. Cease. His own hand held out in front of him at a girl about to hit him in the face. Foolish. His own awkward flirtations with that same girl a few years later.)_

The child looked up, his own orange eyes looking confused. He held out his hand again and a flurry of mental and emotional information flew between the two. Lights blasted out of them, taking a clear signifying place in both warrior's minds.

 _ **(Glory, Victory. A borrowed triumph from Kuroyuri, talking in front of the latest creation as he tore the soul out of a black cloaked man with a bow.)**_

 _(Denial. Seeing the letter on the table, somehow already knowing the contents.)_

Jaune flinched back. His body weakened.

 _Okay, round two._ He thought before lunging out with his hand again letting the bright lights surge out of him.

 _(Pride. His father reading a story about Jaune's ancestor wielding Crocea Mors as Jaune sat on his knee giggling.)_

 _ **(Pride. Mother gently resting her hand in his before revealing the orange gem.)**_

Both child and man flinched back, panting in obvious exertion. The child glared petulantly.

 _Oh, grow up._ Jaune glared back in return.

The child merely slapped Jaune open hand before the rush of emotions and memories came flooding in in their usual light show.

 _ **(Submission. He knelt at her feet, crying as he was now.)**_

 _(Begging. Lying on the bed, his own regretful tears streaming down his face as he remembered his shame.)_

Again they flinched apart. Both of them clenched their fists while they thought of a new strategy.

 _(A tidal wave. Pyrrha against the other trainees. Dad beating him down with repeated shield bashes.)_

 _So, bull rush tactics then._ He could feel the confusion build behind his eyes even as the thought came to him. It felt distinctly odd to have his mind operate on those two levels simultaneously, both gut feeling and cool strategy melding into a somehow harmonious chorus of action. He closed his eyes once more and gathered in every thought he could think of.

 _Right. Feel, don't think._ Instead of trying to dive for the child, he simply roared into the imagined sky and forced his emotions outward, letting them consume him. His arms clenched and his head forced back almost by the force of his shout, Jaune focused on the child across from him.

 _(Strength. He lifted the weights in the gym with ease, tossing them around even as his Aura slept deep within him.)_

 _ **(Confusion. How - )**_

The surging chorus of lights began to brighten as the retaliatory beam began to falter back into the small child.

 _(Compassion. Pyrrha standing right outside the chamber, her face aghast with worry and her smile all the brighter after it.)_

 _ **(Defiance-)**_

Another vital step back as the beam of tiny lights continued to rush out of Jaune like an angry hive.

 _(Unity. His team, newly formed, all working as one to defeat the horde of Sekhmet with their own unique skills.)_

 _ **(Panic. Mother's face curled into a -)**_

Jaune could feel it; the tipping point of this entire fight. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the music of his memories as the tsunami of emotion burst forth.

 _(Victory. His triumph, however brief, that had won him the first trial of the Expansion concoction and an entry into Prism proper.)_

 _ **(Disbelief. Not - )**_

 _(Victory! His first proper fight in the field, clashing blade and fist against a more experienced opponent and winning.)_

 _ **(Terror. Mother's oldest, an old Huntsman with a moustache-)**_

 _(VICTORY! His shield slamming into Outis' chest, crushing him against the wall and forcing this combat.)_

With the final memory light finished, Jaune looked over properly at his opponent. The boy curled into himself, forming a neat little ball. With a little sigh of pain, a tear twinkled gently down his cheek. A single little light burst from him and floated wisp-like over to Jaune.

 _ **(Victory. He hadn't survived but he'd succeeded.)**_

 _What? No, No you can't just-_

The little boy smiled and his eyes twinkled with mischief even as his form faded into more memory lights. They blew off, gently fading as they did, like dandelions in the wind.

 _It's done. It's finally over._ Jaune thought. His body collapsed down into the mish mashed ground and he began to close his eyes. But before he could even twitch the first muscles to do so, the gem that had hung so prominently around his opponent's neck floated up and hovered trembling in mid air. A tapping sequence of pulsing flashes preceded a huge blinding shine.

Out from the gleaming lights stepped a simply dressed woman in what looked to be very crude leather armor. Her eyes were keen, constantly dotting around and never staying focused until they rested on Jaune. They narrowed quickly.

 _Oh. That's probably Mother._

 _(Exhaustion. He was in the hospital bed after Qrow had kicked his butt in several new and exciting ways.)_

The woman tilted her head at his memory light and shook her head.

Then, she smiled. Which only served to make things worse.

 _What's this?_ Jaune rapidly searched for something to use as a weapon.

He could only stand and stare as a familiar little dancing light popped forth from her and twinkled its way over to him.

 _A flash of mixed images - all picked for the same reason - flew in front of his eyes._ _ **The number one, a storybook with its pages torn and worn, a bow and arrow, Pyrrha Nikos, his own mother, the Marvels of Remnant book with a very familiar picture on the front cover-**_

 _No. Way._

* * *

 _(Almost there.)_


	25. Chapter 22

" **'** _ **We are the Wonders of this world. The Empowered. Come, students. Join me and learn the true power that you wield. Walk my path and you will discover the house of learning.'** Captain, what exactly am I reading here?" _

" _As far as any of us can make out, sir, it's an encoded message. We didn't even know it existed in the book until one of our operatives happened to be reading it."_

" _Which operative?"_

" _Schnee, sir. She was reading it enroute to a mission when she reported seeing particular letters in the text light up."_

" _And you trust her?"_

" _Absolutely, sir. Schnee isn't the type to fabricate false information."_

" _What if I told you that there might be more to this little text, Captain?"_

" _Sir?"_

" _Atlas took a keen interest in Tatar when he started wandering around here asking questions. It was only after a few months that we started noticing a pattern of… unnatural disturbances and incidents."_

" _I'm not sure what you mean, sir. Did he draw out somebody's Aura?"_

" _No! That's what frustrated us at the time. But we've kept tabs on the people he met with, both recorded in his book and not. Tell me what you see."_

" _All seem to have pretty unique Semblances, sir."_

" _Not unique, Captain, but_ _ **unheard of.**_ _In recorded history, no one has had these sorts of Semblances and somehow Tatar just manages to stumble across them? I think I need to speak with Specialist Schnee and see if we can't use her insight."_

 _\- Recorded conversation, Atlas Military Base, Alpha Security Sector. The Atlesian Military denies that any such conversation took place and that even if it had, no one could have breached Alpha Security without being spotted._

* * *

The smile the woman returned just screamed "Yes. Way."

Jaune stared agape as the woman stepped over to him with a mixture of brutish grace and held up a hand to his face.

 _What's thi-_

 **FLICK.**

"Ow!" Jaune snapped. "What's that for?"

She smiled again and a rush of images flourished in his head. **(A kid shrugging at him. A coy smile on the face of a girl who'd just tricked him.)**

"So, no reason then?"

The woman just nodded. Her eyes gleamed more with mischief than with the pulsing orange energy behind her.

"So, you're the First Huntress?"

A nod.

"Why are you here?"

 **(A teacher standing at the front of class. A library full of books. His handwritten notes.)**

"Gah!" Jaune snapped again. "Can't you just talk?"

The First Huntress raised an eyebrow and began to speak. A whirl of sounds burst forth in an incomprehensible mess before she quieted down.

"Oh."

 **(A light bulb. A sarcastic clap.)**

"So, what's going on?"

 **(The gem that hung around Outis' neck. A colour wheel. Outis screaming out 'Mother.')**

Jaune winced as the images flickered into his mind. "There's more of those things?"

The First Huntress nodded.

"How many?"

 **(A hand with six fingers. A dice with six dots.)**

"Any clues on a location?"

Another flat stare was all he got as a response.

"Is there anything you can do to help?"

She shook her head. Her smile was kind but ultimately little comfort as Jaune reeled back at the information.

"Right. Great. I meet a freaking living legend and all I get is some vague threats of doom. Wonderful."

The First Huntress smiled a little as she bopped Jaune on the nose.

 **(A dice with a dot on it. A pencil drawing a line and then stopping.)**

"What?"

 **(Pyrrha's voice whispering to him. "Wake up." A half remembered buried image of her smile.)**

Her sneaky grin was the last thing he saw as he blacked out completely.

* * *

The bitter smell of cleaning fluid forced its way straight into his nose before his eyes even opened.

 _Well, better than no smell at all._

Jaune could feel his head pulse in pain while he blinked open his eyes. After the light had finished piercing through his skull, he managed to get a better look around. The room was simple enough, the pale walls gleaming in the sun streaming through the windows. An small wooden bedside table was placed right by his bed and the familiar shield of Crocea Mors sat, design burnt off, right up against it.

"Mr Arc. Glad to see you awake."

"Professor." Jaune nodded to the green scarfed man.

"How are you feeling?"

"Confused more than anything. How are the others?"

Ozpin just held his hands together. "I'll get to that. Did you manage to find out anything from Outis?"

Jaune sighed and nodded. After he'd relayed all the information he'd managed to gather, it was all Ozpin could do to keep his mouth from springing open in surprise.

"That… is a most interesting story, Mr Arc. How can you be sure any of it after the orange glow was real?"

"It's… hard to explain." Jaune said shaking his head. "It's like fighting with Aura, I guess. That same mix of instinct and thought. I don't know, sir."

Ozpin nodded. "Hm. Well, good to see you back awake. I must warn you though, things may have changed since you fell asleep."

"Sir?"

"Mr Arc," Ozpin stood up and placed both his hands on the cane. "How long do you think you've been here?"

"A day? Two?" His heart sped up. _Can't be that long, can it?_

"It's been longer than that, I'm afraid."

A cool drop of panicked sweat slide down Jaune's back. "How long, sir?"

"Well-"

"Jaune!"

The red hair was a blur as she rushed over to his side and proceeded to crush his lungs with a brutal bear hug.

"Oh, you moron! I told you not go in on your own! I know we needed someone on the inside but we could have worked together! I'm going to-" Pyrrha turned her head as if only just realising there were other people in the room.

"Professor!" She slid away from Jaune before standing awkwardly.

"I suppose I'd best leave." The wry smile on his face did little to defuse the awkward blush on Jaune's. "Still, Mr Arc, I'd like to see you about something once you're finished… catching up. Perhaps, Miss Nikos, you could tell Mr Arc the news." The low taps on Ozpin's cane echoed down the hall.

"You're okay!" Jaune let his own relief overcome him as he lunged out to hug Pyrrha. He held her tight before his brain kicked in.

 _Abort! Abort! Unwanted touching! She's gonna-_

She held him back just as tightly, silently placing his chaotic thoughts at ease. They immediately began talking back and forth.

"No way, a whole building?!"

"Yeah…"

"That's awesome! And then you had to fight those suits of armor?"

"Yeah…"

"That's even cooler! You kicked butt, I'm sure!" Jaune replied with almost childish enthusiasm.

"What about you? The shield battering? That whole… Aura fight thing?"

"It was nothing. I couldn't have done it without you."

 _(A half remembered image of her smile…)_

"So, what's the news?" Jaune said, quickly distracting himself from his own thoughts.

Pyrrha looked away slightly, her previous enthusiasm and energy seemingly sapped. "It's… I'm going back to Mistral."

"O-oh." Jaune said. "That's… good, I guess."

"The sponsors of the Mistral Regionals want me back and…" Her sigh was as heavy as her shield. "They're willing to 'investigate' to see why I'm not coming back. A three time champion doesn't just suddenly abandon her position for no reason." She shook her head.

"So, that's it? You're not gonna be with Prism anymore?" Jaune tried not let his emotions show.

Clearly Pyrrha caught on. "Oh, don't worry!" Her energy seemed to return. "I'm still working with Prism. I just have to do this championship stuff, tours and promotions, then I get to go to Beacon!"

"Sounds great." A grey cloud seemed to hang over Jaune. Happy as he was, he still felt more than a little jealous at his friends' good fortune.

"Jaune?" She looked concerned. "Did the Professor not tell you? About Beacon?"

"No. He wanted that field report."

"Not even about your place?"

 _What?_ "What?" Jaune's eyes widened.

"Yeah!" A huge grin came across Pyrrha's face. "Due to 'exceptional valor in the face of overwhelming odds,' the Professor can enroll you with the next class of students - with me!"

Jaune cheered up, pumping his fist in the air. He leapt towards Pyrrha and sprung out of bed, lifting the muscular girl off of her feet and spinning her around. "Hahah! I'm gonna go to Beacon!" His heart sang along with his laughter in elated music

His joy was such that he failed to notice the distinct lack of clothing on his upper half or the extreme closeness of which he was holding Pyrrha.

These two facts, independently but simultaneously, were made aware to him as he took a single glance down.

He'd never dashed to bed so fast in his entire life.

"So…" Pyrrha said, face red. "We'll meet up at Beacon? That is, if you want to…"

"I want to!" Jaune said, his face hue matching Pyrrha's. "I really do."

They spent the rest of the afternoon simply chatting and enjoying each other's company. Each one discussed their plans. Neither one would admit or notice the slight red tinge on their faces.

As he walked out of the infirmary a free man, Jaune's stomach rumbled.

 _Fooooood…_ It bellowed. _Foooooood…_

Not one to deny his needs, Jaune dashed double time over to the Emissary Quarters.

Only to find himself confronted by a tower of pancakes before he could sit down.

"I'll never get your fascination with them." He shook his head and sat down next to the Amazon with an appetite.

"Thash cosh-" She swallowed the delicious cakey mess in her mouth. "That's cause you don't eat as much of them as I do. Once you hit a couple thousand or so, you'll understand." With that, Nora went back to devouring her breakfast.

"How're you feeling, Jaune?" Ren stepped out of the kitchen. A light pink chef's apron _(BOOP!)_ adorned his now light green tail jacket while he kept flipping pancakes to Nora.

"Pretty good, y'know, save for the hunger."

Ren laughed in a rare show of emotion. "Well, I'm pretty sure I'm sticking to pancakes until Nora's done. So… Pancake?"

Jaune laughed back. "Sure. I'll have a stack."

As they munched on the light and fluffy snacks, a thought occurred to Jaune. "So, what are you guys gonna do now?"

Nora just kept chewing as she looked towards Ren.

Ren just shrugged but even as he did so, a small smile appeared on his face. "Well…" He looked towards Nora and winked slightly. "We're heading to Beacon for the next class of admissions. Ozpin came and told us you might be going as well."

Another bursting cheer tore its' way through the room. "Yes!" Jaune cried out in joy.

"Yes!" Nora joined in, her pancakes left alone but not forgotten. The two excitable members jumped up in the air and hugged as their energy fed each other's own enthusiasm.

"So, what'll you be doing until then? More Hunting?" Jaune asked.

"Nora? You had the plan for this." Ren waved to his partner in battle.

"Y'know Outis kept mentioning his 'Mother?'" Jaune nodded. "We figured we could continue to do some research on who it might be. Oz up in his office said he had a few leads that we might be able to follow up. You seen him yet?" Nora raised an eyebrow in question.

"He was waiting for me in my room." Jaune said. "Y'know, just in the chair, tapping his leg. Like I was late or something." Jaune shook his head as he laughed under his breath.

"Well, that's weird." Nora stared at Jaune. "Eh, no weirder than a boomerang hammer or a kid who became a Hunter from a sports drink…"

"Heh." Jaune stood up, his stomach full of delicious pancakes and syrup. "I should probably go see him. See you before we go?" Ren smiled.

Jaune just gave a wide grin and held out a fist to bump. "Count on it."

"Mr Arc. You're right on time." Ozpin said as he twirled his chair to face the young man.

"Do you enjoy doing the whole "mysterious" thing, sir?" Jaune asked before he stopped in front of his desk.

"It's a small pleasure." Ozpin smiled. "Besides, I'm a Headmaster. I have a role to play. People expect it from me."

"If you say so, sir." Jaune could feel a cool feeling of calm wash over him while he spoke.

"I do. Now, take a look at these files." Ozpin held out a fanned set of four files that spilled out across his desk. Each held a picture paperclipped to the front. "Tell me what you think."

Jaune raised an eyebrow as he looked through them all. Scanning the text, several details began to spring out at his keen intellect.

 _Strange, unexplained fires found around the area. Suspicions of a new Grimm unfounded. Suggest further-_

 _Possesses unnatural speed not linked to her Aura or Semblance. Seems to run into walls often. Suggest further-_

 _Explosions seem distinct from any actual attempt on her life. Emotional distress accelerates the process. Suggest further-_

 _Book fell through her hands. As in straight through. Barely seemed to register. Suggest further-_

"Wouldn't Qrow be better to investigate these?" Jaune asked. "He's got more experience in the organisation-"

"That information came from Qrow. Intermittently, true, but he's too close to this as it is."

Jaune looked at the names and flicked his eyes back up to Ozpin. "Illegitimate daughters?"

Ozpin laughed lowly. "No, no. Though he might get a small laugh about that."

Jaune continued looking through the information, flicking through statistics and field reports done more like journal entries. "Why do you think these people are worth investigating?"

"Not investigating, Mr Arc. More… inviting."

"Sir?"

"Let me tell you about the Champion program, Mr Arc."

* * *

(That's Part One finished. As always, thanks to **rwbyfan5** for betaing.

See you later for Chapter 1 of **Marvellous: Scarlet.** Part Two of the Marvels of RWBY Series. Until then, hope you enjoyed the story!)

* * *

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"You're sure?" The voice was like silk on silk; as smooth as polished stone.

"Yes, my lady. Outis fell and his Gem is now loose in the world."

The black dress dragged gently behind her as she looked over her domain. Her own Gem, gently taking pride of place on her forehead, pulsed as she turned. Her eyes gleamed in their infinite blackness.

"Good. We can proceed."


End file.
